{"id":131267,"date":"2024-09-23T11:18:27","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T15:18:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=131267"},"modified":"2026-01-21T12:32:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T16:32:04","slug":"why-willpower-doesnt-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Willpower Doesn\u2019t Work\u2014and What Does (Benjamin Hardy)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why does willpower seem to fail us so often? Is there a better way to achieve our goals?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benjamin Hardy challenges the common belief that willpower is the key to success<\/a>. He proposes that our environment plays a crucial role in shaping our behavior and outcomes. Instead of relying on willpower alone, Hardy suggests designing our surroundings to support our goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discover why willpower doesn’t work, and learn why certain environments can naturally lead you to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why Willpower Doesn\u2019t Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hardy begins by explaining that many people think of willpower like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Therefore, they believe that the way to accomplish anything\u2014from landing your dream job<\/a>, to losing weight, to overcoming addiction\u2014is to work hard and keep training your discipline. Also, the main reason people give for falling short of their goals is a lack <\/em>of willpower. But, Hardy challenges this notion and goes on to make a case for why willpower doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Hardy discusses willpower at length, but he never explicitly defines it. Willpower<\/a> is the ability to control yourself<\/a>; to choose a course of action and follow through on it, even if it\u2019s difficult or unpleasant. For example, sticking to a diet is often seen as an act of willpower, as is working hard at a stressful job. Determination, discipline, and self-control are common synonyms for willpower<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardy says that willpower is actually a very weak \u201cmuscle\u201d; no matter how hard you work, there\u2019s only so much it can do. Furthermore, modern life all but ensures that your willpower is permanently exhausted.<\/strong> Every day, starting from the moment you wake up, you\u2019re bombarded with decisions: what to wear, what to eat, what to watch or listen to while you get ready, and so on. You\u2019re also constantly fighting against countless temptations, such as time-wasting social media feeds and smartphone games, junk food, and alcohol and other drugs, just to name a few. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, trying to create the life you want<\/a> through pure willpower is almost sure to fail, and that\u2019s not your fault. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Many mental health experts\u2014including Hardy himself\u2014agree that willpower can be learned and strengthened with practice<\/a>. Where Hardy differs from his peers is his argument that willpower is limited. The more common belief is that willpower has no limits<\/a>, meaning that people can remain in control no matter what situation they\u2019re in or how mentally exhausted they are. To extend the \u201cwillpower is like a muscle\u201d idea, Hardy is saying that willpower is<\/a> really like the muscles in your pinkie finger: You can strengthen those muscles to some extent with the right exercises, but no matter how much you train, you\u2019ll never be able to lift heavy weights with just your pinkie.)\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Solution: Design Environments That Force You to Succeed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you can\u2019t rely on willpower, how do you achieve your goals<\/a>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardy says the key is to create an environment that forces you to become the person you want to be<\/a>. <\/strong>This is a better approach because, while humans aren\u2019t as strong-willed as we like to think, we are <\/em>excellent at adapting to our environments. We\u2019re also uniquely good at changing our environments; adapting our surroundings to meet our needs. Therefore, Hardy says that you can accomplish anything by using these two natural strengths in tandem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, you can intentionally adapt your environment in ways that, in turn, force you <\/em>to adapt. To give a simple example, you could try leaving your cell phone charger at work. This tactic would strictly limit how much time you spend on your phone at home, with no willpower needed on your part; your phone\u2019s battery would set a hard limit on how much you can use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: The idea that willpower is unreliable goes against the popular belief that you can achieve anything through discipline and determination. However, some other recent theories are even more extreme: For instance, neurologist Robert Sapolsky thinks willpower doesn\u2019t even exist<\/a>. According to Sapolsky, free will\u2014which includes willpower\u2014is an illusion, and any given action is the result of countless genetic and environmental influences all coming together into a single, inevitable outcome. However, whether Sapolsky or Hardy are right about this topic, the conclusion is the same: Stop trusting in willpower, and instead redesign your environment to push you toward the life you want.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create a Work Environment and a Rest Environment<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Hardy adds that it\u2019s actually best to create two different environments for yourself: one for working and one for resting. This is important because you\u2019ll struggle to be productive in a place that you associate with rest and relaxation, such as your bedroom or living room. <\/strong>Entering those places cues your brain that it\u2019s time to relax and unwind, and forcing yourself to be productive under those circumstances takes a lot of willpower. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reverse is also true, meaning you won\u2019t rest as effectively in a place that you associate with work and stress. For that reason, Hardy doesn\u2019t suggest working from home: The mismatch between your environment (a place you use for work) and your goal (to stop thinking about work so you can rest) will distract you, so you won\u2019t be able to fully enjoy your rest time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Willpower Doesn\u2019t Work <\/em>was first published in 2018, shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic forced millions of people all over the world to start working remotely. Since then, studies have found\u2014contrary to what Hardy writes\u2014that people are significantly happier when they work from home<\/a>. The research on productivity is less clear: Some studies have found that people are more productive when they work remotely<\/a>, while others have found the opposite<\/a>. Ongoing debates about the methodologies of those studies\u2014as well as debate over what \u201cproductivity\u201d actually means\u2014suggest that a clear consensus on that topic could still be a long way off.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why does willpower seem to fail us so often? Is there a better way to achieve our goals? Benjamin Hardy challenges the common belief that willpower is the key to success. He proposes that our environment plays a crucial role in shaping our behavior and outcomes. Instead of relying on willpower alone, Hardy suggests designing our surroundings to support our goals. Discover why willpower doesn’t work, and learn why certain environments can naturally lead you to success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":131276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,9],"tags":[1604],"class_list":["post-131267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motivation","category-psychology","tag-willpower-doesnt-work","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Willpower Doesn\u2019t Work\u2014and What Does (Benjamin Hardy) - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Benjamin Hardy challenges the common belief that willpower is the way to accomplish anything. Discover why he believes it doesn't work.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Willpower Doesn\u2019t Work\u2014and What Does (Benjamin Hardy)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Benjamin Hardy challenges the common belief that willpower is the way to accomplish anything. Discover why he believes it doesn't work.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-23T15:18:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-21T16:32:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tired-frustrated-woman.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1344\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"Why Willpower Doesn\u2019t Work\u2014and What Does (Benjamin Hardy)\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-23T15:18:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-21T16:32:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/\"},\"wordCount\":1027,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tired-frustrated-woman.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Willpower Doesn't Work\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Motivation\",\"Psychology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/\",\"name\":\"Why Willpower Doesn\u2019t Work\u2014and What Does (Benjamin Hardy) - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tired-frustrated-woman.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-23T15:18:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-21T16:32:04+00:00\",\"description\":\"Benjamin Hardy challenges the common belief that willpower is the way to accomplish anything. Discover why he believes it doesn't work.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tired-frustrated-woman.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tired-frustrated-woman.webp\",\"width\":1344,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"A tired and frustrated woman with her head in her hands illustrates why willpower doesn\u2019t work\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why Willpower Doesn\u2019t Work\u2014and What Does (Benjamin Hardy)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Willpower Doesn\u2019t Work\u2014and What Does (Benjamin Hardy) - Shortform Books","description":"Benjamin Hardy challenges the common belief that willpower is the way to accomplish anything. Discover why he believes it doesn't work.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why Willpower Doesn\u2019t Work\u2014and What Does (Benjamin Hardy)","og_description":"Benjamin Hardy challenges the common belief that willpower is the way to accomplish anything. Discover why he believes it doesn't work.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2024-09-23T15:18:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-21T16:32:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1344,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tired-frustrated-woman.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"Why Willpower Doesn\u2019t Work\u2014and What Does (Benjamin Hardy)","datePublished":"2024-09-23T15:18:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-21T16:32:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/"},"wordCount":1027,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tired-frustrated-woman.webp","keywords":["Willpower Doesn't Work"],"articleSection":["Motivation","Psychology"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/","name":"Why Willpower Doesn\u2019t Work\u2014and What Does (Benjamin Hardy) - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tired-frustrated-woman.webp","datePublished":"2024-09-23T15:18:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-21T16:32:04+00:00","description":"Benjamin Hardy challenges the common belief that willpower is the way to accomplish anything. Discover why he believes it doesn't work.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tired-frustrated-woman.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tired-frustrated-woman.webp","width":1344,"height":768,"caption":"A tired and frustrated woman with her head in her hands illustrates why willpower doesn\u2019t work"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-willpower-doesnt-work\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why Willpower Doesn\u2019t Work\u2014and What Does (Benjamin Hardy)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tired-frustrated-woman.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131267"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":147297,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131267\/revisions\/147297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}