SELF-CONTROL RELIES ON GLUCOSE AS A LIMITED ENERGY SOURCE: WILLPOWER IS MORE THAN A METAPHOR

WHY DID YOU LOSE IT?

On a piece of paper, briefly discuss a time where you didn’t exercise self-control and you feel like you could have handled the situation differently. Try to answer the following:

What happened?

Speculate on why it happened? Do you know?

What would you have done differently? Or do you think you could control it?

KEY TERMS1.Self Control- The ability to control or overrideone’s thoughts, emotions, urges, and behavior.

2. Glucose- A principle circulating sugar in the blood and the major energy source of the body.

3. Ego Depletion- a state of diminished resources following exertion of self-control.

4. Willpower- training and control of oneself and one’s conduct, usually for self improvement.

SELF CONTROL AS A LIMITED RESOURCE- Self control relies on a limited energy or strength, suchthat engaging in a single act of self-control impairs

subsequentattempts at self-control, as if some sort of energy had been

used upduring the initial act.

-Body is an energy system and depends on ingesting energy, using it to fuel activities and is vital in psychological processes

-Brain consumes 20 % of the bodies calories!

- Self control provides many benefits and therefore it might be one psychological process that is immensely valuable despite being soexpensive in terms of caloric energy (glucose).

GLUCOSE

-Glucose: Is a vital fuel for the brain and it’s activities/functions

-Glucose metabolizes from the bloodstream and allows each brain region to perform their respective duties

-Controlled, effortful processes that rely on executive function are unlike most other cognitive processes and are highly susceptible to normal fluctuations in glucose.

GLUCOSE- Low glucose levels have been linked to impaired

performance on difficult (incongruent) but not easy (congruent) trials of the Stroop color word interference task and on complex but not simple reaction time tasks- Driving!

- 2 Volunteers Please! Assessment of Speed and

Accuracy

STROOP EFFECT/TASKhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpge6c3Ic4g

How did you do? Did you have self-control? Was it easy?

Discussion?

GLUCOSE

-Low Glucose was associated with poor performance on driving simulation task when participants were fatigued and task was not demanding. Why?

-Low glucose levels impair controlled or effortful processes. They require more glucose and more energy.

-Simpler or automatic processes did not require the energy source such as glucose to be performed

Problems associated with low levels of Glucose1. Criminal Behavior

2. Aggression

3. Impulsiveness

4. Decrease in concentration and emotion regulation

5. Alcohol depletes levels of glucose in the body and brain

6. Glucose helps facilitate coping with stress and quitting smoking

PRESENT WORK/PREDICTIONS- Hypothesis:

- 1. completing a self-control task would use up a relatively large amount of glucose, compared with completing a cognitive task that does not require self-control.

- 2. low blood glucose levels after an initial self-control task were then predicted to impair performance on subsequent self-control tasks.

RESULTS-Three main findings in the studies

- 1. Blood glucose levels dropped considerably following acts of self-control. Especially participants who worked the hardest.

- 2. Low glucose after an initial task was linked to poor self-control on a subsequent task.

- 3. Experimental manipulations of glucose reduced or eliminated self-control decrements stemming from an initial self-control task

DIAGRAMSShow on overhead!

Graph 1: Stroop performance as a function of self-control and glucose conditions

Graph 2: Effortful persistence as a function of mortality salience and glucose conditions

IMPLICATIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

- Willpower is essential for Self Control http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdAFInKoUrY – Texas A&M Study

- “ The last-in, first- out rule” P- 334. Discuss

- Small acts of self-control are sufficient to deplete the remaining glucose available, thereby impairing the control of thought and behavior until the body receives more glucose.

STRENGTH MODEL- LIMITED RESOURCES

- Self Control: vulnerable to depletion overtime with exertions, similar to a muscle that gets tired.

- Glucose can be converted to neurotransmitters- Fuel

STRENGTH MODEL- RESEMBLES MUSCLES

1. Exercise- Muscles -Self control can improve willpower strength

2. Conserve Strength- Further expectations and challenges

3. High Stakes- If the stakes are high enough

THE STRENGTH MODEL OF SELF-CONTROL

STRENGTH MODEL CHARACTERISTICS

- Just as a muscle gets tired from exertion, acts of self-control cause short-term impairments (ego depletion) in subsequent self control.

Ego Depletionhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te71L-ugX1U

Will Powerhttp://

www.bing.com/videos/search?q=roy+baumeister&view=detail&mid=BB84749FE23B47ED6C10BB84749FE23B47ED6C10&first=0&FORM=LKVR

Self Control and Decision Makinghttp://

www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/resisting-temptation/63lzwlq

QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION 1. Participants- Mostly women. Why? Classes they picked or

specific gender?

2. Depletion in fuel vs. depletion of desire (motivation)

3. Dieting- Lowers Glucose????

4. Further Research and what we should eat in order to improve self-control

5. How do these articles relate to selective pressures, emergent properties, and different levels of organizational complexity?

6. What other forms rely on glucose?

7. How do we improve self-control? Delay Gratification? 1. - Other Ideas: Id, Ego, Superego, Stanford Marshmallow Experiment- 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EjJsPylEOY

8. Biological and Developmental implications?

9. New Study Article- Neuronal Networks

10.Self Control in a group setting vs. with an individual

11.What is important in improving self-control. Caloric intake, sleep and rest, protein and complex carbohydrates. Self Control Exercises.