Is Willpower Really Like A Muscle? ft. Roy Baumeister

Professor Roy Baumeister wrote the book on willpower... literally! Professor Baumeister is the author of Willpower: Rediscovering The Greatest Human Strength. He's spent his entire career studying self control, where it comes from, how to control it, and how to improve it. "Willpower" is one of my favorite books and today we dove in deep. We talked about the infamous "Marshmallow Experiment" from Stanford University, as well as Roy's own Radish Cookie experiment, which furthered his hypothesis that willpower is actually a finite resource, like gas in a car. I was particularly interested in hearing his thoughts on how to improve our self control and improve our willpower, and turns out there are several things you can do! Be sure to check out Roy's book on Audible like I did and let me know what other books you'd like me to read down below!

Intro: 0:00
What is willpower? 0:30
What traits lead us to success? 5:07
What benefits are there? 10:07
Marshmallow and Radish Experiments 11:34
Ways to improve your self control 17:05
Is self control genetic or learned? 22:07
How meditation helps 23:50
iPhones harming our willpower 26:11
Avoidance As A Coping Mechanism ! 28:26
Decision Fatigue 32:06
How to fight against decision fatigue 37:26
Reproducibility Crises & Critique 41:11

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-Doctor Mike Varshavski

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* Select photos/videos provided by Getty Images *

** The information in this video is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional **

[xliquidflames]

I wonder why addiction didn't come up. Speaking from experience, there's nothing more debilitating than a doctor saying, "If you wanted to quit, you would." When a person says something like that, it tells me they don't know the first thing about addiction. Yes, a person needs to want to quit. But, there's much more to addiction than just a desire or willpower to quit.

[MiningDayz]

I just graduated with a psyc degree and in my final year wrote a paper on Roy Baumeister's theory of self-control. He's a living legend in psychology!

[itsivymiha]

We must appreciate the time and effort that doctor Mike puts in at doing this educational videos for us 🙏🏼😊

[izzyolsson]

I have ADHD, so my impulsivity has been a real problem for me in my life. My depression and issues with self-control tend to get worse when I'm letting one (or both) slip, and it's a vicious cycle.
I've learned a lot of my self-control as a result of tough life lessons, but I can say that I now have a higher level of resilience and inner peace because of that self-control.
Day-to-day, I can still struggle, but overall my life is better for regularly exerting small levels of self-control consistently, rather than waiting until I have to exert a LOT 😅
That's the thing about self-control; it's hard for everyone (very much acknowledging: some more than others), but improving self-control is also achievable for everyone!

[luke-hqpr]

You donated $100, 111 to feeding America! Thank you so much! You are saving even more lives!

[esmeevogels]

I have ADHD and we are known for having decision fatigue and loss of motivation and all other thing to do with this topic. Could this be the reason we love eating the same thing for long periods? that's the first thing what went trough my mind. Did Mr Baumeister ever speak about/ research/write about this?

[Carolynnie]

I JUST downloaded this book on Audible YESTERDAY! I haven’t started listening yet, but that was my plan for today while cleaning! Crazy good timing!

[piercegilbert]

I know Mike isn’t going to read this but it’s worth a shot;
I think that you should do a “Doctor reacts to career ending sports injuries” It would great to see you analyze some career ending injuries (or just interesting injuries) in football, baseball, basketball, etc. I think it would be interesting to see you explain them real time and tell what long term effects they can cause. I think this would be a great idea and can catch the glimpse of sports fans (A lot of people😂) on YouTube.
Please hit the like button so Mike can see this😀

[violetleporid]

My biggest question about the various studies mentioned here is: What did they control for?

Neurodivergencies like ADHD and ASD seem like they would have a huge impact on this, as self control and impulse control are very different for these people.

[EmmTeee]

As a psych student, this was amazing to watch! I'm slightly fangirling at the fact you got to talk to someone whose been so influential in Psychology as professor Baumeister has been. Thanks for taking psychology seriously; it's not often seen in doctor's but you've proven to be different! :)

[bishop]

The secret to self control is emotional maturity: the act of knowing and understanding your feelings and not just reacting to them. Its also good not to put yourself in a situation to lose control, ei: an alcoholic going to a bar, or a gambler going to a casino.

[vivalanina]

having a morning routine preventing me from draining my self control later makes so much sense to me! even if I get enough sleep but don't get my routine in, I feel like my whole day is thrown off! Also recharging your willpower with a good meal really does charge you partway through the day speeding up productivity, confidence in decision making and willpower to make it through the day. It goes to show enough sleep, routine and well timed meals-and not skipping them DOES make long term change.

[kidney]

Downloading the book from Audible right now! Self improvement is key to get better at what we do in life and this seems to be really interesting! Thank you Dr Mike!

[pucci_seq]

As a student whos studying for a HUGE part of their future but just CANT study even though I want to every day this video is very helpful. Thank you doctors!

[julaizaya]

I never had an interest in medecine but for an unknown reason last week a video from Dr.Mike appear in my recommandation and since that I watched yours videos and I simply love them, you are a great guy Doctor Mike ^^
Greetings from Belgium in Europe.

[jadethegingergoblin]

This is really what I need right now. I love These long for interviews with experts. And I suffer from depression and anxiety that comes with absolute perfectionism. I've been teaching myself over the years that nobody expects that from me, and I don't expect it from others. It's helped a lot, but hearing about this from an expert is a revelation.

[valeriefstewart]

Ooh these longer videos are so good! Shout out to Dan and Caroline for their editing!

[shivanivimal]

Thanks for donating $100, 000 to 1 penny 1 million meals!! You’re the goat dude!

[wilienrossouw]

This was exactly the advice I needed. Love how he said that you don't need to be a perfect parent just don't be part of the bottom 10%. This was a good talk.

[recapmemes-zg]

my mum is a paramedic and we both love watching you. now I know what a GI disturbance, carotid artery, solar plexus and a humorous is and I think I stand for everyone when I say this "thank you":)