WILLPOWER AND SELF-RESTRAINT

     Almost everyone in daily life will have some challenging temptation.  It could be an impulse purchase, an unhealthy snack, a cigarette.  Many of us believe we can resist these temptations by using willpower.  But know that using willpower alone is hard. Researchers in a study by L.F. Nordgren, et. al. at the Northwestern University Kellog School of Management found that many people think they have more willpower than they really do.

     The study found that college student participants often overestimated their ability to control their impulses and behavior.  This in turn caused a bigger problem.  Because they thought they could resist temptation, they tended to put themselves in situations where they were exposed to even more temptation which they couldn't handle.  The students who believed they had strong willpower were likely to make poorer choices like choosing to smoke, hang out at the bar,  buy the impulse purchase or eat an unhealthy snack.  Students who believed themselves to not have as much willpower were less likely to make those poor choices.

     So rather than rely on willpower, avoiding situations that have those temptations is easier.  I tell my clients that you would not send a new AA member to a bar.  Food junkies need to avoid donut shops and shopaholics need to avoid the mall.  Hypnotherapy can be a great tool for confirming these new methods for dealing with the temptations in your life.