Brainmatters | A farewell to New Year’s resolutions
About half of my day I desire something. You too by the way. This ‘something’ could be anything, that’s not the issue here. What matters is that fifty percent of our waking day, we actively want something. This is a good thing, for otherwise we might not embark on anything. But about half of those desires are problematic (so-called temptations) that we need to resist. This resistance requires strength: willpower. Willpower is a wonderful phenomenon some of us (claim to) have in abundance, others too little. But the fact is we need it frequently.
What is it we want most? Recent research has indicated that our strongest desires are not the ones we claim we cannot resist, like alcohol or smoking. Our strongest desire is for sleep (sex came in second). And our most frequent desire beside sleep is eating and drinking. Note: both desires often conflict with goals for educational or professional achievement. We learned all this from a recent study performed in Germany. Three scientists – Hofmann (desire), Vohs (motivation), and Baumeister (willpower) had people fill in questionnaires multiple times a day, every time a beep sounded on the PDA they carried with them.The study rendered numerous insights on desires, temptations, resisting them, and giving in to them. The latter – giving in to temptations – is something we do not succumb to frequently: about 1 in every 6 temptations on average. Interestingly, our willpower is compromised most frequently when we desire to work. This is particularly striking if we consider that this desire conflicts only modestly with other goals: perhaps we just do not crave for it sufficiently? We also give in to temptations more easily after we have had to employ it to resist an earlier temptation. If willpower gets depleted, we run a higher risk of falling for the next one.This certainly is something to consider before making numerous New Year’s resolutions. And just in case you did decide to spend more effort on your studies or career, please take my advice: (1) do not go on a diet! (2) steer clear of temptations; (3) but above all, choose a career that really speaks to you, as this is what boosts willpower most.
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