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Want to finally establish good habits that stick? The usual advice is that you need sheer determination, grit, and willpower. Just push yourself with incredible self-discipline to live healthier, achieve goals, learn skills. Over time, the habits will form, right?
It sounds reasonable, but new research shows that relying on willpower alone almost never works long term. A better and counterintuitive strategy exists — one requiring less effort and struggle.
Why Willpower Fails Over Time
The problem with willpower is that it’s a finite resource. Trying to force good behavior through self-discipline alone depletes your capacity for emotional regulation and decision making power.
This is why New Year’s resolutions crash quickly and you backslide after a few weeks. Your resolve gets used up, ability to delay gratification diminishes and bad habits creep back in.
Researchers have quantified this effect — exerting willpower seems to drain glucose levels and tire out the prefrontal cortex of your brain. Essentially, you’ve got a limited supply of determination and forcing habits burns through it rapidly.
