Building A Better Resolution

As we approach the end of the decade and look to improve upon our myriad faults for the year ahead, the Wall Street Journal takes an enlightening look at the science behind willpower and our (in)ability to keep resolutions. Turns out the area of our brains in charge of maintaining self-control, the prefrontal cortex, also has several other duties to monitor – things like focus, short term memory and abstract problem solving – that take precedence over our yearly pledges to quit smoking or lose weight. In fact, attempting to achieve these goals might be asking it to perform one task too many.

As the WSJ explains:

This helps explain why, after a long day at the office, we’re more likely to indulge in a pint of ice cream, or eat one too many slices of leftover pizza. (In fact, one study by researchers at the University of Michigan found that just walking down a crowded city street was enough to reduce measures of self-control, as all the stimuli stressed out the cortex.) A tired brain, preoccupied with its problems, is going to struggle to resist what it wants, even when what it wants isn’t what we need.

Though this offers a somewhat bleak outlook for our chances at successful self-improvement, it doesn’t relegate us to failure either. That said, perhaps we simply need to approach the way we go about making our resolutions a bit differently. Using a willpower-as-muscle metaphor, the article proposes that we have to be aware of our inherent limitations and not expect that we can accomplish a total makeover all at once, but instead build up to the change. And along with this self-awareness, our ability to effectively distract ourselves when faced with a potential struggle is key, allowing our minds to replace one challenge with another. Which all seems to suggest that before we can hope to control our external urges that we must better understand our internal drivers first.

Wall Street Journal: The Science Behind Failed Resolutions

[image via slushpup on Flickr]