Book Summary - Willpower Instinct
Self-Control: Prefrontal Cortex vs Brain Stem
Self-control comes from the prefrontal cortex. It resists instincts from the brain stem.
Key Principles
Instinct acts first. The instinctual self always acts before the rational mind. We need to change direction after that first impulse. This is why tracking the moment of decision matters.
Heart rate variability predicts willpower. This is the best proxy for your willpower reserve. Increase it by destressing through exercise, sleep, and meditation. Get a quick boost by breathing slowly, five times per minute.
Willpower is a muscle. Keep pushing to grow stronger. Find your strongest wants and use them when you’re at your weakest.
No moral accounting. Don’t justify good or bad behavior as moral credits and debits. A misstep today predicts future behavior. Each decision carries real weight.
Desire vs reward. Dopamine drives us to seek rewards, whether the actual reward exists or not. Slow down. Notice the gap between promised and actual rewards. Use this to your advantage. This might be key to engineering your own happiness.
Forgive yourself. We’re only human. Willpower failures happen. Shame and guilt will break you faster than the failure itself.
Predict temptation. Predicting how and when you might be tempted increases the chance you’ll stay on track.
Wait ten minutes. This strategy holds back the Beast and brings out the Wise. “Surf the urge.” The urge is like a wave in the ocean. It builds in intensity but ultimately crashes and resolves.
Future Discounting
A mind trick that makes future rewards less enticing than present ones.
Reverse the trick: Act as if you’ve already obtained the future reward. You’ll lose it if you go for instant gratification now.
Precommitment
Limit your options. Burn down your ship. Try these tactics:
- Make choices in advance - Pack healthy lunch. Sign up for training before you lose motivation.
- Make relapse difficult - Put your alarm far from the bed.
- Motivate your future self - Wager money on success.
Future Self
We think too highly of our future self, treating him as entirely another person. Start thinking of him as having even less endurance than the current you.
Mirror Neurons
We automatically mimic others’ actions. This is why we have empathy and can be influenced by social groups.
Social Proof
We follow whatever the group considers normal. Religion. Tradition. Politics.
Use imagined social proof to appeal to emotions. This is easier than rational arguments because it affects the Beast (System 1), not the Wise (System 2).
Shame works better for weak or distant temptations. Pride works better for strong emotions.
Ironic Rebounds
Suppressing thoughts has the opposite effect. Don’t think about something → you think about it. Try to sleep → you can’t sleep.
Solution: Let thoughts flow through you. Feel what you feel, but don’t believe it.
Reference: Dune’s Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear.