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willpower
You underestimate how much control you have over your habits.
Research indicates that people who view willpower as a limited resource perform worse on self-control tasks than those who don't.
In a 2010 study, participants were divided into two groups: those who believed willpower was finite and those who believed it was renewable. The group that believed in unlimited self-control maintained their performance even after prolonged exertion, while the others quit early.
The ceiling on your endurance is often set by your own belief in your fatigue.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Job, Dweck, and Walton, 2010, Psychological Science
- What the check found
- The study exists and the findings are summarized accurately, but the broader scientific consensus on ego depletion has shifted due to difficulties in replicating the effect.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.