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#1 has been debunked[0], in 2016 of all times. I wonder how many more years we'll have to go before people stop saying willpower is a finite resource. [0]: htt

#1 has been debunked[0], in 2016 of all times. I wonder how many more years we'll have to go before people stop saying willpower is a finite resource. [0]: https://elemental.medium.com/dont-worry-you-can-t-deplete-your-willpower-a6007b79a4f https://elemental.medium.com/dont-worry-you-can-t-deplete-yo...

User23 5y ago
Tolerance for pointless corporate busywork on the other hand most certainly is a finite resource for most sane persons.
thrwyoilarticle 5y ago
The original "science" is hard to accept & so is the rebuttal. In cases like these I defer to anecdata and that tells me what you'd call my willpower is finite.
chana_masala 5y ago
I like to believe that willpower is like a muscle - it takes work to build it up, and you need to maintain it. Though unlike the human body's limitations, I agree that it can be nearly unlimited.
nl 5y ago
From that link you shared: > But while the early ego-depletion concepts appear to be flawed, experts say that self-control can wax or wane for a number of predictable reasons. and > Inzlicht says that no matter what a person does, willpower is going to be a fickle commodity. It’s heavily influenced by many variables, and so it really cannot be trusted. “There are easier, less-muscular ways to engage in goal-directed behavior than relying on willpower,” he says. Close enough for most purposes, really.
- codemac 5y ago
  No, not close enough at all! They show that willpower comes and goes for many reasons, but it is not a limited resource. You can't "use it up" in the morning, and thinking that way will lead you to actually having less willpower in the evenings even though you could have plenty!
  - nl 5y ago
    > You can't "use it up" in the morning No, but some things you do can deplete it.
    - codemac 5y ago
      They literally say in the quote your reference that's not the case though, that it's fickle - not a resource you can "deplete".

User23 5y ago

Tolerance for pointless corporate busywork on the other hand most certainly is a finite resource for most sane persons.

thrwyoilarticle 5y ago

The original "science" is hard to accept & so is the rebuttal. In cases like these I defer to anecdata and that tells me what you'd call my willpower is finite.

chana_masala 5y ago

I like to believe that willpower is like a muscle - it takes work to build it up, and you need to maintain it. Though unlike the human body's limitations, I agree that it can be nearly unlimited.

nl 5y ago

From that link you shared: > But while the early ego-depletion concepts appear to be flawed, experts say that self-control can wax or wane for a number of predictable reasons. and > Inzlicht says that no matter what a person does, willpower is going to be a fickle commodity. It’s heavily influenced by many variables, and so it really cannot be trusted. “There are easier, less-muscular ways to engage in goal-directed behavior than relying on willpower,” he says. Close enough for most purposes, really.

codemac 5y ago
No, not close enough at all! They show that willpower comes and goes for many reasons, but it is not a limited resource. You can't "use it up" in the morning, and thinking that way will lead you to actually having less willpower in the evenings even though you could have plenty!
- nl 5y ago
  > You can't "use it up" in the morning No, but some things you do can deplete it.
  - codemac 5y ago
    They literally say in the quote your reference that's not the case though, that it's fickle - not a resource you can "deplete".