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Psych 201, Lecture 16: Weakness of Will
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Reminders Exam 2 is next Wednesday! Review sessions (all optional)
3/30, bring maroon scantron and pencil Review sessions (all optional) In class, Monday 3/28, 4pm With Allie and Suzanne, Tuesday 3/27, 12:30pm, location TBA Topic review sheet sent last week
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Outline What is willpower? How important is willpower?
Examples of weakness of the will Temporal Discounting Addiction Components of willpower Strategies to overcome weakness of the will
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What is willpower? Intentionally behaving in a way that is in line with one’s ultimate goals when tempted to do otherwise.
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Behaviors associated with the most common causes of death (USA)
Cardiovascular disease Cancers Strokes Chronic lung disease Accidents Diabetes Pneumonia and influenza Alzheimer’s Disease Kidney disease Septicemia Suicide Chronic liver disease (cirrhosis)
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Importance of Willpower
Weakness of the will (i.e., giving into temptation) can be very bad “…most major problems, personal and social, center on failure of self-control: compulsive spending and borrowing, impulsive violence, underachievement in school, procrastination at work, alcohol and drug abuse, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, chronic anxiety, explosive anger…losing friends, being fired, getting divorced, winding up in prison...” Baumeister & Tierney (2011) Temptations are very common (smartphone study): ~25% of waking life spent resisting temptations Most common everyday desires: to eat, sleep, relax, sex Temptations getting more common
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Importance of Willpower
Happiness
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What is the relationship between failures of self-control and happiness?
Every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind and poisons us. (Oscar Wilde) Capacity for joy admits temptation. (Elizabeth Browning) Yield to temptation. It may not pass your way again. (Robert Heinlein)
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What is the relationship between failures of self-control and happiness?
Every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind and poisons us. (Oscar Wilde) Capacity for joy admits temptation. (Elizabeth Browning) Yield to temptation. It may not pass your way again. (Robert Heinlein) You only live once. (Drake)
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Importance of Willpower
Willpower can be very good for happiness in the long term: Relationships -conscientiousness and long-term relationships -physical attractiveness -exercise/eat healthy Purpose -morality -wealth -academic -creativity (“Genius is patience;” 10,000 hour rule) Autonomy/Liberty -less likely to go to jail -less likely to have substance abuse problem -live unassisted for longer
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Outline What is willpower? How important is willpower?
Examples of weakness of the will Temporal Discounting Addiction Components of willpower Strategies to overcome weakness of the will
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Assume no change in your income or purchasing power of $100
Intertemporal Choice The study of the relative value people assign to two or more rewards at different time points. $99 now or $100 in a year? Assume no change in your income or purchasing power of $100
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Intertemporal Choice The study of the relative value people assign to two or more rewards at different time points. $40 now or $100 in a year?
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Intertemporal Choice The study of the relative value people assign to two or more rewards at different time points. $40 now or $100 in ten years?
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Temporal Discounting – The devaluation of anticipated outcomes as a function of their anticipated delay $100 in a year worth about $40 today.
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Intertemporal choice in a pigeon…
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Immediate
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Delay Immediate
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10 grains, After 2 sec 10 grains, immediately
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10 grains, After 2 sec 9 grains, immediately
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10 grains, After 2 sec 9 grains, immediately
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10 grains, After 2 sec 8 grains, immediately
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10 grains, After 2 sec 8 grains, immediately
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10 grains, After 2 sec 1 grain, immediately
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10 grains, After 2 sec 1 grain, immediately
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10 grains, After 2 sec 7 grains, immediately
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≈ 7 grains, immediately 10 grains, After 2 sec
Not rationally calculated; evolved mechanism?
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Outline What is willpower/Importance of Willpower
How important is willpower? Temporal Discounting Addiction Components of willpower Strategies to overcome self-control problems
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DSM Criteria for substance dependence
What is Addiction? DSM Criteria for substance dependence Tolerance Withdrawal Taking more than intended Unsuccessful efforts to cut down A lot of time devoted to the substance Giving up other things Continued use despite adverse consequences
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Opponent Process Theory and Addiction
Recall… Hedonic contrast: Experiencing hedonic change when stimulus presented (“A process”), followed by opposite change (“B process”). Hedonic habituation: Over repeated exposure, reduced hedonic change to stimulus. Hedonic withdrawal: Over time, emergence of a long-lasting, high-amplitude after-reaction that is opposite to the original hedonic change.
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Opponent Process Theory and Addiction
First few experiences After many Pos affect Neg affect Pos affect Neg affect
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Opponent Process Theory and Addiction
First few experiences After many Pos affect Neg affect Pos affect Neg affect
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How prevalent is addiction?
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How heritable is addiction?
Smoking heritability Sullivan PF, Kendler KS. The genetic epidemiology of smoking. Nicotine Tobacco Res. 1999;1:S51-S57.
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Addiction Problems Common in College http://www. usc
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Outline What is willpower/Importance of Willpower
How important is willpower? Examples of weakness of will: Temporal Discounting Addiction Components of willpower: Delay of gratification Motivation Ability Strategies to overcome self-control problems
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We all start out demanding immediate gratification
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Delay of Gratification: The Marshmallow Test
Walter Mischel Place ONE marshmallow in front of four year old. Child can eat it any time. If child waits long enough (~15 min) he or she gets TWO marshmallows. Majority don’t wait.
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Video
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Correlations between Delay Times and SAT Scores
Traditional Marshmallow Test Exposed SAT verbal SAT quantitative
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Correlations between Delay Times and SAT Scores
Traditional Marshmallow Test Exposed SAT verbal * SAT quantitative ** Stronger predictor than IQ
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Components of Willpower
Licking marshmallow is clever, but bad idea. Distraction is a better idea. Why?
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Components of Willpower
Licking marshmallow is clever, but bad idea. Increases temptation/reduces motivation But what would happen if option was one marshmallow now or Toys R’ Us shopping spree in 15 minutes? Component 1: Motivation
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Component 1: Motivation
Is a function of immediate value of goal and expectancy of reaching goal. Immediate value of getting two marshmallows in 15 minutes. Ooh I’d love to have two of these! Expectancy of getting two marshmallows in 15 minutes if you wait. (0:03 – 2:41)
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Components of Willpower
Distraction seems to be helpful. Reduces temptation Component 2: Ability
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Component 2: Ability Capacity Willpower as a limited resource
Roy Baumeister Component 2: Ability Capacity Willpower as a limited resource (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice, 1998)
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Component 2: Ability Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice (1998)
Roy Baumeister Component 2: Ability Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice (1998) Three conditions Radish (over chocolates) eating condition (self-control) Cookie eating condition (less self-control) Control condition (no self-control)
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Component 2: Ability DV: Persistence task (unsolvable puzzles)
Roy Baumeister Component 2: Ability Condition Time Attempted (min) Radish Cookie Control DV: Persistence task (unsolvable puzzles)
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Component 2: Ability DV: Persistence task
Roy Baumeister Component 2: Ability Condition Time Attempted (min) Radish Cookie Control DV: Persistence task
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Component 2: Ability DV: Persistence task
Roy Baumeister Component 2: Ability Condition Time Attempted (min) Radish Cookie Control DV: Persistence task
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Component 2: Ability Can the willpower muscle be strengthened?
Roy Baumeister Component 2: Ability Can the willpower muscle be strengthened? Muraven, Baumeister, &Tice (1999) Two week study Four Conditions 1.Good posture 2.Regulate emotions 3.Intricate food diary 4.Control DVs Handgrip task
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Component 2: Ability Can the willpower muscle be strengthened?
Roy Baumeister Component 2: Ability Can the willpower muscle be strengthened? Muraven, Baumeister, &Tice (1999) Two week study Conditions 1.Good posture 2.Regulate emotions 3.Intricate food diary 4.Control
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Component 2: Ability Can the willpower muscle be strengthened?
Roy Baumeister Component 2: Ability Can the willpower muscle be strengthened? Muraven, Baumeister &Tice (1999) Two week study Conditions 1.Good posture 2.Regulate emotions 3.Intricate food diary 4.Control
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Outline What is willpower/Importance of Willpower
Examples of weakness of the will Temporal Discounting Addiction Components of willpower Strategies to overcome self-control problems
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Combat Temptation Recall… Hot / cold empathy gap – People in a cold state mispredict how they will behave when in a hot state. People tend to overestimate the strength of their own willpower and/or underestimate the influence of the hot state. Sexual decision-making (Ariely & Loewenstein, 2006)
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Combat Temptation Precommitment – Secure current preferences against future expected temptation by eliminating the future temptation.
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Combat Temptation Precommitment -- Secure current preferences against future expected temptation by eliminating the future temptation. Don’t buy television Gastric bypass Antabuse Block websites (stayfocusd.com)
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Increase Motivation -Side contract
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Increase Motivation Side contract (e.g., www.stickk.com)
Making resolutions in public Better goal setting Set concrete and difficult goals “Do your best” results in not doing your best. Breakup large goals into smaller sub-goals Keep track of accomplished goals
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Improve Ability Increase mind control Strengthen willpower muscle
Meditation (even short term) Seems to improve mind control. Not entirely sure why. Strengthen willpower muscle In same or different domains of life Just keep practicing
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Reminders Exam 2 is next Wednesday! Review sessions (all optional)
3/30, bring maroon scantron and pencil Review sessions (all optional) In class, Monday 3/28, 4pm With Allie and Suzanne, Tuesday 3/27, 12:30pm, location TBA Topic review sheet sent last week
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