THE NEUROSCIENCE

OF WILLPOWER
BY JAVIER SOTO
WHAT IS WILL POWER?

It is conscious control to do something or restrain impulses.

THEORIES ON WILLPOWER

• The most accepted implicit theory of willpower suggest that it is limited

• When someone consciously makes a decision or more than one decision they become decision fatigued
because they may be controlling themselves from certain things they crave
PREFRONTAL CORTEX AND ITS ROLE WITH
WILLPOWER

• The prefrontal cortex is in charge of cognitive functions

• Willpower is the mechanism we use to do task
• The part of the prefrontal cortex that contains the areas in charge of the prefrontal ventral striatum and
ventromedial prefrontal cortex
DECISION MAKING COSTS TO OUR
WILLPOWER

• A study done observed which activity people would choose when their mental resources are depleted
• There was three hundred ten participants
• Participants were asked to fill out a subjective vitality scale, depleted feelings scale , and were asked to
discuss depleting events (Vonasch, A. J., Vohs, K. D., Pocheptsova Ghosh, A., & Baumeister, R. F. , 2017).
• What they found was that as they predicted people that said they had depleted mental resources were
more likely to choose passive activities such as watching television, and were less likely to do task that
require more willpower such as going for a run
HOW TO IMPROVE WILLPOWER

• The best ways to improve willpower are to consciously think about what your goal is
• Wither that be to avoid a temptation, restrain an impulse , or just do something difficult
WORKS CITED

• -Job, V., Bernecker, K., Miketta, S., & Friese, M. (2015). Implicit theories about willpower predict the activation of a rest goal following self-control exertion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 109(4), 694-706.
doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1037/pspp0000042
• -Bernecker, K., & Job, V. (2017). Implicit theories about willpower in resisting temptations and emotion control. Zeitschrift Für Psychologie/Journal of Psychology, 225(2), 157-166.
doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1027/2151-2604/a000292
• -Job, V., Sieber, V., Rothermund, K., & Nikitin, J. (2018). Age differences in implicit theories about willpower: Why older people endorse a nonlimited theory. Psychology and Aging, 33(6), 940-952.
doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1037/pag0000285
• -Magen, E., & Gross, J. J. (2007). Harnessing the need for immediate gratification: Cognitive reconstrual modulates the reward value of temptations. Emotion, 7(2), 415-428.
doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1037/1528-3542.7.2.415
• -Neal, D. T., Wood, W., & Drolet, A. (2013). How do people adhere to goals when willpower is low? the profits (and pitfalls) of strong habits. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(6), 959-975.
doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1037/a0032626
• -Loewenstein, G., O'Donoghue, T., & Bhatia, S. (2015). Modeling the interplay between affect and deliberation. Decision, 2(2), 55-81. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1037/dec0000029
• -Berkman, E. T. (2018). The neuroscience of goals and behavior change. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 70(1), 28-44. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1037/cpb0000094
• -Baumeister, R. F., & Nadal, A. C. (2017). Addiction: Motivation, action control, and habits of pleasure. Motivation Science, 3(3), 179-195. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1037/mot0000069
• -Morgenstern, J., Naqvi, N. H., Debellis, R., & Breiter, H. C. (2013). The contributions of cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging to understanding mechanisms of behavior change in addiction. Psychology of Addictive
Behaviors, 27(2), 336-350. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1037/a0032435
• -Vonasch, A. J., Vohs, K. D., Pocheptsova Ghosh, A., & Baumeister, R. F. (2017). Ego depletion induces mental passivity: Behavioral effects beyond impulse control. Motivation Science, 3(4), 321-336.
doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1037/mot0000058
• -Shmerling, R. (2014). The limits of willpower. In Harvard Health Publications (Ed.), Harvard Medical School commentaries on health. Boston, MA: Harvard Health Publications. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.loras.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/hhphoh/the_limits