Psychology Archives

Willpower Depletion: Train Your Willpower Muscle

In what ways is using willpower like working out at the gym? Why is self-control highest in the morning? Can you increase your willpower stamina? The more you use your willpower, the more it becomes depleted, just like your energy when you work out at the gym. Willpower depletion can lead to negative side-effects such as binge eating or spending money. Luckily, there are ways to counter willpower depletion and ways to increase your willpower stamina. Continue below for research and tips on willpower depletion.

How Dopamine Highs Sabotage Your Willpower

What is a dopamine high? What is the biological purpose of dopamine? How can a dopamine high undermine your self-control? Dopamine is the brain neurotransmitter that is at the root of every craving and desire. Dopamine can be dangerous because it causes a form of arousal when you want something, but does not release any sort of satisfaction when you receive that item. This cycle of want and disappointment can lead to anxiety and addiction. Here’s everything you need to know about dopamine highs and how to use dopamine in your favor.

Chimp Thinking: What Drives Your Inner Chimp?

What is the difference between Chimp thinking and Human thinking? How can knowing this help to control your emotions? What happens when your frontal lobe stops working? In The Chimp Paradox, Steve Peters introduces his chimp paradox model. He says that there are two distinct kinds of thinking: Chimp thinking and Human thinking. In this article, we’ll explain the key differences between these kinds of thinking and what motivates your inner Chimp and Human. Discover what causes Chimp thinking and how it can get you into some sticky situations.

The What the Hell Effect: How Guilt Leads to Mistakes

What is the what-the-hell effect? Why does your brain tend to take one bad decision and amplify it? The what-the-hell effect is when you make one bad decision—such as eating a slice of pizza while on a diet—and makes it even worse—eating three more pieces because you already ate one. Rather than doing damage control and stopping at one, your brain says “what the hell” and keeps making it worse. Here is the psychological background to the what-the-hell effect and some tips for avoiding it.

Your Inner Chimp (and How to Manage It)

What is the chimp paradox model? How can understanding your inner Chimp help you to become happier and more confident? How do you know when your inner Chimp has taken over? According to Steve Peters (author of The Chimp Paradox) understanding the inner Chimp is crucial in finding success, happiness, and confidence. In this article, you’ll discover what the chimp paradox model is and what practical steps you can take to handle your inner Chimp. Learn more about the inner Chimp below.

How to Generate Ideas: Exercise Your Idea Muscle

Do you struggle to find that one perfect idea and hold yourself back from entertaining less-than-perfect ideas? What can you do to increase your chances of getting novel, original ideas? No matter what field of work you’re in, you’d likely benefit from being more creative and generating more good ideas. The most important rule of thumb to follow is to brainstorm lots of ideas. Here’s a spread of advice from Tim Ferriss on how to generate ideas, how to identify the best ones, and how to put them to action.

Stay on Task by Understanding Reactive Thinking

Do you struggle to stay on task? Do you know what reactive thinking is and how it affects your ability to focus? To be productive, you must minimize distractions. When you’re learning how to stay on task, it helps to consider the factors that can prevent you from doing so. The brain’s ability to focus effectively can be hampered by reactive thinking. Read more to understand how reactive thinking can harm your ability to stay on task.

Why Is Heart Rate Variability Important to Willpower?

What is heart rate variability? Why is heart rate variability important to willpower? Heart rate variability is the variance in time between each heartbeat. The higher the variability, the more relaxed and adaptable your body is to stress. This is related to willpower because people with higher heart rate variability are better at delaying gratification, dealing with stress, ignoring distractions, and exercising self-control. Continue reading for more information on heart rate variability and what you can do to increase it.

Moral Licensing: When “Rewards” Are Sabotage

Do you ever reward yourself with a snack when you’ve done well on your diet? Why do people tend to think that being “good” gives us moral permission to be “bad”? Moral licensing is when people tell themselves they deserve an indulgent treat because they’ve been good. However, much of the time the “reward” is actually counterintuitive to the person’s goal. Here is why moral licensing goes against self-control.

Make Better Decisions With Probabilistic Thinking

How are your decision-making skills? Do you know what probabilistic thinking is—and how it can help you make better decisions? An important element of productivity is the ability to make better decisions. At its root is the ability to predict the future with some accuracy. Probabilistic thinking is one way to do this. Read more to learn how you can make better decisions using probabilistic thinking.