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Can someone do a test for willpower/hardwork? I think that would be a useful indicator. I was a B student, but I've accomplished more than A students now that

Can someone do a test for willpower/hardwork? I think that would be a useful indicator. I was a B student, but I've accomplished more than A students now that I'm approaching my 30s.

js8 8y ago
I just started one for you. Now it's up to you to figure out, what has to be done and do it. Let me know when you think you have finished the test, and we will evaluate it.
- MrEfficiency 8y ago
  Interesting. I have no incentive to do the test, so I wont. My willpower is based on consequences?
  - js8 8y ago
    The evaluation of the test is simple. Your willpower is measured by the amount of hard work you dedicated to the problem of your own choice during the time interval of the test (which is your choice as well). So if you truly have no incentive to do the test, then you have no incentive to do anything that you choose to, and zero willpower.
folli 8y ago
Even though it's controversial, I think this comes close: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experimen...
ben_w 8y ago
Willpower has a standard test, at least in kids: put a sweet in front of them, tell them to not eat it, leave them alone with it, and see how long it takes them to eat it anyway. For adults, I propose giving them a mobile phone and a Twitter account, and seeing how long it takes for them to “just check it one more time”.
- csa 8y ago
  Geez,I guess I’ve always had infinite willpower. /s I wasn’t a fan of sweets as a kid, and I don’t have a Twitter account. That said, I think that these, or some minor variation thereof, are fairly good and simple tests of willpower.
- sjg007 8y ago
  I've never liked the marshmallow test. I think it is fundamentally flawed as others have found. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jun/01/famed-impulse-control-marshmallow-test-fails-in-new-research https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jun/01/famed-impu...
leetcrew 8y ago
hard to tease out when people have very different motivations. rationally, i understand the importance of education, but emotionally, i found it a bit odd that i was paying to do work. so i always did the minimum required to get a B or low A, except on programming assignments where i wanted to prove to myself that i was the best. i usually had the highest project average in the class. once i got myself into a position where i actually get paid to work, i didn't have much trouble getting motivated.
debacle 8y ago
There have been willpower studies in young children. The findings were something like: - Willpower at some point (age 4?) actually goes down for some period of time. - Willpower at (I believe) age 8 was highly predictive of future success. Higher than IQ, but - Willpower (I think here measured as focus) tends to increase with IQ.

Can someone do a test for willpower/hardwork? I think that would be a useful indicator. I was a B student, but I've accomplished more than A students now that I'm approaching my 30s.

js8 8y ago

I just started one for you. Now it's up to you to figure out, what has to be done and do it. Let me know when you think you have finished the test, and we will evaluate it.

MrEfficiency 8y ago
Interesting. I have no incentive to do the test, so I wont. My willpower is based on consequences?
- js8 8y ago
  The evaluation of the test is simple. Your willpower is measured by the amount of hard work you dedicated to the problem of your own choice during the time interval of the test (which is your choice as well). So if you truly have no incentive to do the test, then you have no incentive to do anything that you choose to, and zero willpower.

folli 8y ago

Even though it's controversial, I think this comes close: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experimen...

ben_w 8y ago

Willpower has a standard test, at least in kids: put a sweet in front of them, tell them to not eat it, leave them alone with it, and see how long it takes them to eat it anyway. For adults, I propose giving them a mobile phone and a Twitter account, and seeing how long it takes for them to “just check it one more time”.

csa 8y ago
Geez,I guess I’ve always had infinite willpower. /s I wasn’t a fan of sweets as a kid, and I don’t have a Twitter account. That said, I think that these, or some minor variation thereof, are fairly good and simple tests of willpower.
sjg007 8y ago
I've never liked the marshmallow test. I think it is fundamentally flawed as others have found. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jun/01/famed-impulse-control-marshmallow-test-fails-in-new-research https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jun/01/famed-impu...

leetcrew 8y ago

hard to tease out when people have very different motivations. rationally, i understand the importance of education, but emotionally, i found it a bit odd that i was paying to do work. so i always did the minimum required to get a B or low A, except on programming assignments where i wanted to prove to myself that i was the best. i usually had the highest project average in the class. once i got myself into a position where i actually get paid to work, i didn't have much trouble getting motivated.

debacle 8y ago

There have been willpower studies in young children. The findings were something like: - Willpower at some point (age 4?) actually goes down for some period of time. - Willpower at (I believe) age 8 was highly predictive of future success. Higher than IQ, but - Willpower (I think here measured as focus) tends to increase with IQ.