How to Increase Your Willpower & Tenacity | Huberman Lab Podcast

In this episode, I discuss neuroscience and psychology studies that address the basis of willpower and tenacity, how they differ from motivation and how we can all increase our levels of willpower and tenacity. I discuss whether willpower is a limited resource, the controversial “ego depletion” theory of willpower and the role that beliefs play in determining our tenacity and willpower. Then I discuss the neural basis of willpower in the brain and body and how tenacity and willpower relate to sleep, stress, focus and possibly to lifespan. Then, I provide a series of science-supported tools and protocols to increase your level of tenacity and willpower.

#HubermanLab #Science #Willpower

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Timestamps
00:00:00 Tenacity & Willpower
00:01:19 Sponsors: Maui Nui & Helix Sleep
00:03:49 Tenacity & Willpower vs. Habit Execution; Apathy, Depression & Motivation
00:10:40 Ego Depletion & Willpower as a Limited Resource; Controversy
00:19:14 Tool: Autonomic Function, Tenacity & Willpower; Sleep & Stress
00:28:02 Sponsor: AG1
00:28:58 Willpower as a Limited Resource (Theory)
00:35:36 Willpower & Glucose, Brain Energetics
00:42:44 Beliefs about Willpower & Glucose; Multiple Challenges
00:52:43 Sponsor: LMNT
00:54:01 Willpower Brain ‘Hub’; Anorexia Nervosa, Super-Agers
01:07:15 Anterior Midcingulate Cortex & Brain/Body Communication
01:14:54 Allostasis, Anterior Midcingulate Cortex Function
01:25:19 Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex (aMCC), Difficult Tasks & Neuroplasticity
01:29:30 Tool: Novel Physical Exercise & Brain; Cognitive Exercise
01:43:43 Tool: “Micro-sucks”, Increase Tenacity/Willpower
01:50:58 Impossible Tasks, Super-Agers & Learning, Will to Live
01:57:23 Tool: Rewards & Improving Tenacity/Willpower
02:01:07 Tenacity & Willpower Recap
02:05:55 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

[sebytro]

Due to sheer willpower, I will watch this video until the end and take action.

[Eggdrupsoop]

There’s an uncanny trend of Huberman dropping a podcast, right when I need it the most. Thank you. I wish school lessons were as interesting and actionable as these podcasts. It breaks my heart to have the timeless knowledge discovered, but not distributed.

[melero]

Dear Andrew, I'm a PhD student in chemistry and just want to say that your work apart from changing my life style, also change the way I express and communicate my research. That's invaluable to me and I'm deeply grateful

[userden]

"Perhaps it's taking you a lot of tenacity and willpower to get this far through the episode" - love sporadic humor like this from Andrew 😄

[turvus]

09:25 willpower and depression are on opposite spectrums. If you don't believe there will be positive outcomes in the future (depressed), you will find it harder to engage your willpower
14:54 will power does not deplete. It is replenishiable.
22:58 when well rested, our tenacity is greater. Conversely, when sleep deprived, sick, in physical pain or emotional pain willpower diminishes. Being distracted also affects negatively.
01:07:30 definitions of tenacity and willpower
Tenacity: "No matter what you do or say to me, no matter what you put in front of me, I WILL ___"
Willpower: "No matter what you do or say to me, no matter what you put in front of me, I WON'T___"
01:58:40 to increase capacity for tenacti and willpower, then it is good to reward yourself occasionally (not always) after you success tenacity with something you like

[ShawnLoftinplus]

"If you believe that willpower and tenacity are unlimited then you can increasingly engage in challenging task after challenging task"
This was worth the two hour listen just to hear this finding

[omarbgm]

The moment i stumbled upon this channel, i feel like my life have shifted into the better direction where i have been putting more and more effort into doing what i should be doing, and i believe i am not the only one feeling this way. So thank you again Dr Andrew for making this channel and inspiring us to become a better versions of ourselves.

[erinfislar]

This podcast and learning about the mechanisms of resistance have helped me begin kicking the habit of vaping. 7 days nicotine free today!

[garypuckettmuse]

Unbelievable consistency in excellence on this channel. The preparation that goes into every single episode on this channel makes me feel so respected as a viewer (and awed at the amount of work, frankly!) and so honored to be in the company of Four Million subscribers who I feel a positive kinship with because we all appreciate what's here. I see Dr. Huberman is doing some live events and I have to imagine that attendees actually do feel some sort of positive bonding getting together in person and knowing they have common ground that is such high ground.

[tafyz]

I listen to your podcasts all the way from Zimbabwe. Now I'm watching it on YouTube. Thanks for making critical information available to the ordinary guy

[santafeaaron]

William James;
"Do something everyday for no other reason than that you would rather not do it at all."

Dr Huberman, you have been a life saver!
Thank you!

Obviously that quote was for this podcast.

The following is for every dopamine podcast of yours, especially the one with Dr. Lemke.

"Do not pursue pleasure, for thou may have the misfortune to overtake it."
Don Quixote
Man of La Mancha

[jonmeisburg]

Here are the top 10 key points from the podcast transcript on building tenacity and willpower:

1. Tenacity and willpower are different from habit execution as they require intervening in our default neural processes and expending effort and energy.

2. Tenacity and willpower exist on a continuum, with apathy and depression on one end and grit, persistence and motivation on the other end.

3. Our ability to generate tenacity and willpower rides on our autonomic nervous system function and balance. Things like sleep, pain, emotional comfort and lack of distraction modulate our willpower.

4. There is evidence that willpower may be a limited resource that can become depleted, and potentially replenished by glucose. However, beliefs about willpower also impact whether it is limited.

5. The anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) is a brain hub that generates tenacity and willpower by allocating neural energy and resources.

6. The aMCC gets input from brain areas governing autonomic function, motor control, reward, context-setting, interoception, etc.

7. Activities we resist doing can build up the aMCC and increase future tenacity/willpower. Cardiovascular exercise is one method shown to increase aMCC volume.

8. We can build willpower by adding "micro-sucks" - small challenges we resist doing. This activates the aMCC.

9. Difficult cognitive, physical or emotional challenges can build tenacity/willpower. Pushing beyond comfort builds the aMCC.

10. Occasionally rewarding yourself after exercising tenacity reinforces the behavior and builds future capacity.

Here are some suggestions for taking action on these key points to improve your life:

- Prioritize quality sleep, stress management, and avoiding distractions to support your willpower capacity.

- Reflect on your beliefs about willpower. Adopt a growth mindset that it can be strengthened over time.

- Add in small challenges that require willpower - things you don't want to do. Start small and build up over time.

- Pick a new physical, cognitive or emotional challenge that pushes you. Commit to sticking with it, even when difficult.

- After completing a willpower challenge, celebrate successes. But don't over-reward every small win.

- Monitor if certain activities deplete your willpower. Adjust your schedule to conserve willpower for priority tasks.

- Notice when you're drifting into apathy. Take actions to re-engage your motivation and willpower.

- Each day, identify 1-2 moments to engage your willpower. This will build the habit over time.

- When you lack motivation, focus on taking the very next step rather than the entire challenge.

- Ask for support from others when working to build a new habit requiring willpower. An accountability partner can help.

- Remember that each effort to build willpower expands your capacity going forward. Progress compounds.

The key is to start small, be consistent, acknowledge successes, and gradually increase the willpower challenges over time. Building willpower takes patience but pays continuous dividends.

[hellewindelv-lidzelius]

Thank you Dr. Andrew Huberman for yet another episode from you - I sit here on my mat in Denmark 🇩🇰 with a big smile and a warm feeling in my heart seeing this new episode from you entering my space. Makes me so happy each and every time because I know it = new learning for me - thank you again and again ☀️👏👌!

[CoachCarlPFT]

As a trainer and a coach for over 26 years… I have always been a believer of doing something HARD every day… However, listening to this I have learned it’s not just something hard, but something hard that you don’t WANT to do… “mini sucks” 🎉

[RacheleZ]

I'm so grateful to you for starting this podcast. Not only you share valuable and precious life advices but you also keep on feeding young and hungry minds such as mine.
I’m an undergrad in Biology, and my dream is to become a Neuroscientist (in Italy there’s no bachelor in neuroscience), and while I’m away from home for Uni I find comfort in these episodes, which remind me the beauty and potential of this discipline and everything that it concerns.
Thank you Dr. Huberman for keeping my spark alive while I lay the groundwork for achieving my goal 🙏🏻

[srleplay]

Thank you Dr. Huberman, you've been huge help to me, it goes beyond just communicating science. I've been overwhelmed these days I have a lot on my mind right now, some serious concerns and few small thing I can't stop thinking about, so naturally my sleep suffers, two days ago I couldn't calm down, let alone fall asleep it was 3AM and I had demanding tasks next day. I tried NSDR for the fifth or sixth time that night, in the middle of it I heard clearly in my head your voice saying "You are in control of your nervous system, you direct your perceptions and your actions" I don't know why I started crying. I don't remember stopping crying but I fall asleep and first time in weeks I had good night rest and felt refreshed, soothed and almost invincible.

[hussienabdelmotteleb]

Thank you Dr Andrew, I have improved my life significantly all thanks to you and your effort❤

[kingzeus]

I have known about huberman since highschool. A teacher introduced me to him. The amount I have learned throughout the years has been incredible and it's helped me change for the better. I'm so happy to see him now all over social media. Everyone could learn a lot from him. He's so knowledgeable.

[Joelina]

Honestly, the BEST podcasts are those, where it is just you speaking! your rhethoric abilites are just unmatched.🏆🤓

[pujajain]

This is very imp podcast for me, as I was entering the " what's the point of doing hard things" zone, and started to consciously remove myself from things that felt tough and uncomfortable. This resulted in lack of motivation, and now as you said in will power and tenacity. This podcast is going to help in the times where I feel the same, like reminder of why we need to do the things irrespective of the success. I am also going to develop few tasks for me with varied levels of will power and tenacity requirements throughout the week so that I am always actively working on building them. Thank you so much for sharing these valuable insights, truly helpful.