Willpower: Definition And How To Increase It
Willpower, or the ability to control your thoughts and behavior, can sometimes mean the difference between succeeding in your endeavors and giving up too soon. It may help you resist unhelpful habits, even when you want to indulge in them, or push you to keep working toward something that feels challenging. You may be able to increase your willpower by looking at it as an unlimited resource, avoiding temptation, using implementation intentions, and repeating positive affirmations. Ensuring that you’re using willpower to achieve goals you genuinely care about can also be helpful. For further guidance, consider working with a licensed therapist in person or online.
Defining willpower
Willpower can be defined as the ability to control your thoughts and how you behave. This concept can be related to choosing your actions and guiding your thought patterns, as well as the capacity for self-determination.
With willpower, you can restrain yourself or act boldly on your decisions, even when tempted to do otherwise. Some simple examples may include choosing not to eat ice cream when experiencing an intense craving or remaining calm while experiencing anger.
Synonyms for willpower
There can be many synonyms for willpower. Consider each willpower synonym below and notice how they have slightly different meanings.
Self-control
Self-control usually refers to the ability to control your actions or emotions, or the ability to avoid or stop doing something. The APA Dictionary of Psychology defines self-control as "the ability to be in command of one's behavior (overt, covert, emotional, or physical) and to restrain or inhibit one's impulses." It notes, "In circumstances in which short-term gain is pitted against long-term greater gain, self-control is the ability to opt for the long-term outcome."
Determination
Determination can be thought of as the ability to continue trying to do something, even when it’s difficult. When you're determined to do something, you can be said to be mentally committed to accomplishing the task.
Self-discipline
Self-discipline can be another close synonym for willpower. It’s generally defined as the ability to make yourself do things you know you should do, even when you don't want to do them. For example, you might use self-discipline to keep up daily workouts, even on days when you don’t feel like exercising.
Self-restraint
Self-restraint can be similar to self-control, and it’s usually defined as having control over your actions. For example, self-restraint might keep you from responding to a rude comment with an unhelpful comeback.
Is willpower limited?
How to increase willpower
Here are some techniques that may help you bolster your willpower reserves.
Avoid temptation
If your goal is to refrain from doing something you've decided not to do, especially if it's unhealthy for you, it can be helpful to distance yourself from temptation. For example, if you want to text a toxic ex-partner and worry that you will do so if you stay home alone, you might put your phone down and spend time with a friend instead. Sometimes, avoiding temptation will help you ride out the urge.
Use implementation intentions
You can plan what to do when specific challenges or opportunities arise. These plans are often called “implementation intentions." To use this tool, simply decide beforehand what you'll do if and when a specific situation arises.
For example, suppose you've decided to run a marathon. You've trained, but don't feel completely confident about reaching your goal. So, you plan and set an intention: If you come to a point where it seems as if you can’t continue, you'll walk until you can run again.
Pace yourself and use willpower to keep going when you feel tired
Following this intention, you may not quit the entire race just because you feel fatigued. Instead, you are likely to keep going. Slowing to a walk may give you time to renew your physical and mental strength, and you may be more likely to finish the race. By tapping into your willpower, you can push through the challenging moments and reach the finish line.
Try positive affirmations
Positive affirmations are a tool that many people use when they want to achieve something. A simple example of a positive affirmation might be, "I can do it," but you may also create customized intentions that align with your specific goals.
Aim your willpower toward what you truly want
Although this isn't always the case, there can be times when we try to implement willpower to work toward something that we don’t truly want due to societal expectations or other people's opinions. For some, thinking about your genuine goals and desires can be helpful. Looking at what you truly want may help you sustain your willpower.
Remember why you set your goals and strengthen your willpower
Motivation can be thought of as mental energy directed toward a goal or a desire to work toward a goal. When you stay motivated, it may help you maintain your willpower. Reminding yourself why you set your goal or decided to change your behavior can help. For example, you might journal, think, or talk about the benefits of accomplishing your goal to increase your motivation.
Exercise your willpower
It’s possible that you may be able to increase your willpower by exercising it. According to this theory, the more you use your willpower, the stronger it may become.
When willpower isn't the answer
There are times when you may need more than willpower. Some situations call for self-compassion, mental health support, and other approaches.
For example, someone with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might have trouble initiating a task. Rather than willpower alone, this diagnosis can call for mental health treatment. ADHD can be a diagnosable neurodevelopmental disorder that is typically addressed through treatments like medication and therapy.
The limits of willpower in managing mental health challenges
With the above in mind, it'd likely be frustrating and inaccurate to suggest that a person with ADHD simply requires willpower to overcome the difficulties they might be experiencing. This can apply to other life concerns or diagnoses beyond ADHD as well. For instance, high stress levels, anxiety, and depression can lead to challenges in completing tasks and achieving goals.
Benefits of online therapy
Getting to a therapy appointment in person often takes quite a bit of willpower. Attending a therapy session online, on the other hand, generally requires less willpower in order to follow through, as you can meet with your therapist from the comfort of your home at a time that fits your schedule. You may also be able to increase your comfort level with therapy by choosing between video call, phone call, and online chat options.
As mentioned above, ADHD can involve difficulties initiating tasks, which can sometimes be mistaken for a lack of willpower. A 2022 systematic review reported that online therapy could be effective in improving the attention deficit and social function of those with ADHD. This joins a growing body of evidence suggesting that online and in-person therapy can be similarly effective in treating a wide variety of mental health disorders and concerns.
Takeaway
What is the meaning of willing power?
Willpower is the ability to exert self-control over one’s actions and behaviors or override an unwanted thought.
What is an example of willpower?
One example of willpower is the famous Marshmallow Test. In this experiment, researchers gave young children one marshmallow, telling them they could eat the single marshmallow immediately or, if they could resist, they could have two marshmallows. Children were then left alone with the marshmallow as researchers watched via hidden camera.
In this experiment, researchers speculated that having the willpower to resist short-term temptations to receive a bigger reward as a child was associated with a range of positive outcomes later in life, including higher SAT scores, better grades, and higher stress tolerance.
Subsequent researchers found that the results of marshmallow experiments may not be true across the board, but the initial experiment remains a well-known example of willpower.
What is the act of willpower?
Willpower can be defined in many ways; generally, it is the ability to delay gratification or resist temptation to help meet long-term goals. Exerting willpower can mean many things. For example, it can be as simple as avoiding an impulse purchase in the grocery store checkout line or skipping a summer vacation to save up for a down payment on a house.
Why is willpower so powerful?
Willpower is powerful because it allows people to resist immediate temptation to meet their long-term goals. People who can exercise willpower may see many benefits. For example, they may be more successful when trying to quit smoking, build healthy habits, or otherwise modify their own behavior.
Is willpower an emotion?
Willpower can be considered an emotion because it fluctuates depending on multiple factors, including emotional distress, sleep deprivation, low blood sugar, or feeling overwhelmed by decision-making.
That said, other things can contribute to willpower. For example, low glucose levels can deprive the brain of energy, affecting one’s ability to exercise self-control.
Certain types of brain activity may also contribute to willpower. Researchers from the University of Washington followed up with some of the children in the original marshmallow experiment. The subjects were now in their forties, and the differences in willpower they exhibited as children were still evident as adults. These researchers also examined brain activity in some subjects and found that self-control was associated with varying activity in a specific brain region, namely the prefrontal cortex. Another area of the brain believed to process desire and rewards, the ventral striatum, also showed boosted activity in those with less self-control.
How do I give myself willpower?
Part of understanding willpower is knowing it is a limited resource; that is, you can deplete willpower by using it repeatedly. Research suggests that people spend three to four hours a day resisting temptation, which can take a toll on self-control. When willpower fails, it overrides the rational cognitive system, leading to impulse control difficulties.
That said, whether you’re experiencing willpower depletion or have limited willpower to begin with, there are some things you can do to improve self-control and self-regulation. Research shows that getting enough physical exercise and sleep, setting clear internal goals, and being kind to yourself when you give in to short-term temptations can help. Another effective tactic to improve effortful regulation is to practice meditation. Meditation can also be a good habit to get into for managing mental and emotional health.
Is willpower the same as discipline?
No, willpower is not the same as discipline, though both can help people achieve their goals.
Discipline can be seen as a more structured approach that becomes automatic over time. It requires effort and motivation at the beginning but becomes easier. For example, someone trying to lose weight may plan to take a walk around the block on their lunch break. They may need to psych themselves up or even force themselves to do it the first time, but if they keep at it, two weeks later, it may feel more natural.
Willpower is more short-term. It can be seen as a burst of self-control, and research over the last decade or so hints that willpower can be depleted. To demonstrate this, bestselling author and social psychologist Roy Baumeister from Florida State University did a study involving cookies and radishes. He brought study subjects into a room with a table with a plate of fresh-baked cookies and a bowl of radishes. Some subjects sampled the cookies, while others tried the radishes. They were then asked to complete a complicated geometric puzzle and given 30 minutes to do so.
Those who ate the radishes and used their willpower to resist eating the cookies gave up on the puzzle after about eight minutes. Those who chose the cookies were able to persist for nearly 19 minutes. Using willpower to resist the cookies resulted in less willpower to keep working on the puzzle.
What is a person with strong will power?
Someone with strong willpower is likely to exhibit a sense of high self-control. They are likely to be able to make more purposeful choices that can help them meet their long-term goals. People with strong willpower may demonstrate strong determination and an ability to stay focused despite setbacks.
Do humans have willpower?
Humans have willpower, but the amount of willpower varies from person to person. Some people may have high willpower and demonstrate more self-control, whereas others may demonstrate faulty willpower and be unable to resist temptation.
Research supports that there are many long-term benefits of willpower. A study led by Terrie Moffitt, PhD, of Duke University, examined self-control in 1,000 people in New Zealand who were tracked from birth to age 32. The researchers found that those with high self-control as children became adults with better financial security, fewer substance problems, and better mental and physical health. These patterns were true even when researchers controlled for socioeconomic status, intelligence, and home lives.
Some people think that willpower is our greatest human strength. If you’re looking for a way to boost willpower or increase motivation but have found self-help books and other techniques ineffective, consider working with a therapist. A trained professional can help you understand more about the psychological science behind why willpower fails and techniques for boosting yours.
Is willpower one word?
Yes, willpower is a single word, though it is commonly misspelled as “will power.”
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