Stanford Psychologist: This Simple Technique Will Help You Never Lack Willpower Again!

Summary

The transcript discusses the concept of willpower challenges as internal conflicts between different aspects of oneself. It highlights five experiments that demonstrate how small interventions can significantly influence behavior. A key example is 'surfing the urge,' a technique that teaches individuals to tolerate physical discomfort without acting on it, proven effective in studies with smokers and those with food cravings. The technique involves mindfulness, accepting cravings, and reconnecting with goals, which can improve willpower in various challenges, including weight loss and managing negative thoughts.

Takeaways

• 🧠 A willpower challenge is a competition between two parts of oneself, reflecting the dual nature of the human mind as described by neuroscientists.
• 🌱 Small interventions can lead to significant changes in behavior, suggesting that minor adjustments in our approach can yield substantial long-term benefits.
• 🫁 Holding one's breath for 15 seconds is a simple willpower challenge that can predict an individual's ability to succeed at difficult goals, highlighting the concept of distress tolerance.
• 🚭 A study on smokers used the 'surfing the urge' technique, which involves acknowledging and tolerating cravings without acting on them, leading to a 40% reduction in smoking rates.
• 🍫 In another study, individuals with self-control issues around food were taught to 'surf the urge', resulting in zero instances of giving in to cravings over a 48-hour period.
• 🌊 'Surfing the urge' is a mindfulness technique where one fully experiences and accepts cravings or emotions, trusting that they will pass, which can be applied to various willpower challenges.
• 🤔 The acceptance of cravings or negative thoughts without acting on them is shown to improve weight loss and reduce the connection between stress and unhealthy behaviors.
• 🧘‍♀️ Mindfulness involves acknowledging feelings or thoughts, using breath as a stabilizing factor, and then broadening attention to recommit to one's goals.
• 🔄 The script suggests five strategies for willpower: training willpower physiology, forgiving oneself after setbacks, making friends with one's future self, predicting failures, and surfing the urge.
• 💡 The 'surfing the urge' technique is presented as a practical intervention that can be applied to any willpower challenge, promoting self-control and goal achievement.

Q & A

What is a willpower challenge according to the transcript?

A willpower challenge is a competition between two parts of oneself, where different systems of the brain have competing goals.

What are the tiny interventions mentioned that can shape people's behavior?

Tiny interventions refer to small changes in how we think or approach a willpower challenge that can lead to significant outcomes.

Why is holding one's breath for 15 seconds considered a willpower challenge?

Holding one's breath is a willpower challenge because it tests the ability to tolerate physical discomfort, which is a predictor of success at difficult goals.

What is distress tolerance and how is it related to willpower?

Distress tolerance is the ability to stay put when things get uncomfortable. It is related to willpower as it helps in enduring difficult situations without giving in to impulses.

What is the 'surfing the urge' technique and how does it help with willpower challenges?

The 'surfing the urge' technique involves paying attention to the physical discomfort of wanting something without acting on it, trusting that the craving will pass with patience and breathing.

In the smoking cessation study, what was the 'torture chamber' experiment?

The 'torture chamber' experiment involved smokers abstaining from smoking for 24 hours and then enduring a series of delays while handling a pack of cigarettes without smoking.

What was the result of the 'surfing the urge' technique in the smoking cessation study?

Smokers who learned the 'surfing the urge' technique reduced their cigarette consumption by 40% in the following week, and the link between stress and smoking was severed.

How was the 'surfing the urge' technique applied in the food self-control study?

In the food self-control study, participants were given a transparent container of Hershey's Kisses and taught to surf the urge, carrying the container for 48 hours without eating any.

What was the outcome for those who surfed the urge in the food self-control study?

Participants who surfed the urge did not eat a single Hershey's Kiss during the 48-hour period, while those using other strategies were more likely to give in.

How can the 'surfing the urge' technique be applied to other willpower challenges?

The technique can be applied to any willpower challenge by practicing mindfulness, allowing oneself to feel the craving or thought, using breath as a source of stability, and looking for opportunities to recommit to the goal.

What are the five willpower rules mentioned in the transcript?

The five willpower rules are: train your willpower physiology, forgive yourself for setbacks, make friends with your future self, predict your failure, and think about surfing the urge when facing temptation.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Understanding Willpower Challenges

The speaker defines a willpower challenge as a competition between two parts of oneself, reflecting the idea that we have two minds within one brain. These two minds can lead to different behaviors depending on which is more active. The speaker shares five favorite experiments that demonstrate how small interventions can have significant impacts on behavior. An example given is holding one's breath for 15 seconds as a willpower challenge, which is linked to the ability to succeed at difficult goals. This is referred to as distress tolerance, the capacity to withstand discomfort. The speaker then introduces two studies: one with smokers trying to quit and another with individuals struggling with food cravings, specifically sweets. Both studies teach participants a technique called 'surfing the urge,' which involves acknowledging and tolerating physical discomfort without acting on it.

05:01

🚭 Overcoming Cravings with 'Surfing the Urge'

The first study involves smokers who are asked to abstain from smoking for 24 hours and then endure a series of delays while handling a pack of cigarettes, meant to increase their craving. Half of the participants are taught 'surfing the urge,' a technique to manage cravings by fully focusing on the physical discomfort and trusting that it will pass. The second study involves individuals with self-control issues around sweets, who are given a transparent container of Hershey's Kisses and instructed not to eat any for 48 hours. They are also taught 'surfing the urge.' The results show that smokers who learned this technique reduced their smoking by 40% in the following week, and the link between stress and smoking was severed. In the food study, those who learned the technique did not give in to eating any sweets, unlike those taught other strategies. The speaker emphasizes the importance of acceptance over suppression of cravings and how this technique can improve various willpower challenges, including weight loss.

Keywords

💡Willpower challenge

A willpower challenge refers to a situation where an individual's desires or goals are in conflict, often requiring self-control to resist a tempting but undesirable action. In the video, the concept is used to describe scenarios where one part of the brain wants to achieve a long-term goal, while another part seeks immediate gratification. The script uses the example of smokers trying to quit, where the urge to smoke represents a willpower challenge.

💡Neuroscientists

Neuroscientists are experts in the field of neuroscience, which is the scientific study of the nervous system and brain function. The video mentions that neuroscientists have posited the idea that we have 'two minds' within one brain, suggesting that different parts of the brain can lead to different behaviors and decisions. This concept is integral to understanding willpower challenges as it implies that willpower is a matter of managing these different mental systems.

💡Tiny interventions

Tiny interventions are small, manageable changes or techniques that can have a significant impact on behavior or outcomes. The video emphasizes the power of such interventions in shaping behavior, suggesting that even minor alterations in approach can lead to substantial long-term benefits. The script provides examples of experiments where simple techniques, like holding one's breath or 'surfing the urge,' are used to improve willpower and achieve goals.

💡Distress tolerance

Distress tolerance is the ability to withstand or endure discomfort, stress, or negative emotions without resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms. The video discusses how the ability to hold one's breath is a predictor of distress tolerance, which is crucial for achieving difficult goals. The script uses the example of smokers who are taught to tolerate their cravings as a means of improving their distress tolerance.

💡Surfing the urge

Surfing the urge is a technique mentioned in the video where individuals are taught to observe and accept their cravings or urges without acting on them. This approach involves mindfully acknowledging the physical discomfort associated with a craving and trusting that the sensation will pass. The video describes how this technique was used in studies with smokers and individuals with food cravings, leading to significant improvements in their ability to resist temptation.

💡Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a mental practice that involves being fully present and engaged in the current moment, without judgment. In the context of the video, mindfulness is a key component of the 'surfing the urge' technique, where individuals are encouraged to notice and attend to their feelings or thoughts without immediately trying to escape them. This practice is highlighted as a means to enhance willpower and manage cravings effectively.

💡Cravings

Cravings are intense desires for a particular substance or activity, often associated with addiction or strong emotional responses. The video discusses how cravings can be a significant willpower challenge, particularly in the context of smoking and overeating. The script provides examples of how individuals are taught to manage these cravings through techniques like 'surfing the urge,' which can lead to improved self-control and goal achievement.

💡Long-term weight loss success

Long-term weight loss success refers to the ability to maintain a reduced body weight over an extended period. The video mentions that learning to accept cravings, as part of the 'surfing the urge' technique, has been shown to triple the one-year weight loss success rate among participants in a standard weight loss program. This highlights the importance of psychological strategies in achieving and maintaining physical health goals.

💡Willpower rules

Willpower rules are strategies or principles designed to help individuals improve their self-control and achieve their goals. The video outlines five such rules, including training one's willpower physiology through meditation, sleep, and exercise; forgiving oneself after setbacks; making friends with one's future self; predicting failures; and surfing the urge. These rules are presented as a framework for individuals to apply in their own willpower challenges.

💡Predicting failure

Predicting failure involves anticipating and preparing for potential obstacles or setbacks in the pursuit of a goal. The video suggests that this approach can be beneficial for willpower challenges, as it encourages individuals to consider how they might fail and to develop strategies to cope with or overcome these failures. This concept is part of the broader discussion on how to effectively manage willpower and achieve long-term success.

Highlights

Willpower challenge is a competition between two parts of oneself with competing goals.

Tiny interventions can shape behavior and have large outcomes.

Holding breath for 15 seconds is a willpower challenge and a predictor of success at difficult goals.

Distress tolerance is the ability to stay put when things get uncomfortable.

Surfing the urge is a technique to tolerate physical discomfort and cravings.

Smoking study shows that 'surfing the urge' reduces cigarette consumption by 40%.

In the food study, people taught to surf the urge didn't give in to cravings for sweets.

Surfing the urge technique can be applied to various willpower challenges.

Acceptance is a powerful strategy for dealing with difficult emotions and cravings.

The technique of accepting cravings has been shown to improve weight loss success.

Intrusive thoughts can be managed with the same technique used for cravings.

Mindfulness allows you to feel and attend to your experience without immediate escape.

Breathing can be used as a source of stability during willpower challenges.

Broadening attention and recommitting to your goal is part of the technique taught.

Five willpower rules are provided to help with willpower challenges.

The small dose intervention can be applied to any willpower challenge.

Transcripts

I Define a willpower challenge as

something that is basically a

competition between two parts of

yourself

neuroscientists are famous for saying

that even though we have one brain we

actually have two minds and we are

completely different people depending on

which mind is active or which systems of

the brain are more active and so

willpower challenge is anything where

those two versions of yourself have

competing goals so I thought today that

I would share with you five of my

favorite experiments from the class and

from the book and I chose experiments

that I like because they use tiny

interventions really really small

interventions to shape people's behavior

and they have very large outcomes and I

think this is the kind of thing many of

us are looking for one small change we

can make whether it's a change in how we

think or change in the way that we're

approaching a willpower challenge that

can have huge payoffs down the road

making it easier to do what it is we

really deep down want even when it's

sometimes difficult cult or part of us

doesn't want let's all do it together

unless you have health problems and then

you know I don't want anyone to pass out

or have a stroke so it uh if you if you

are willing to take this challenge we're

just going to hold our breath for 15

seconds take a deep breath in

go to take a deep breath out now exhale

exhale exhale exhale it out stop

breathing timeless

remember you can breathe anytime you

want to if you need to I just want you

to notice how this feels

three two one breathe so holding your

breath obviously that's a little bit of

a willpower challenge some of you maybe

need to hold your breath for two minutes

to feel it but I did not want anyone

passing out so would you believe that

this ability to hold your breath is one

of the best predictors of people's

ability to succeed at difficult goals

psychologists call this distress

tolerance the ability to stay put when

things get uncomfortable so I want to

tell you now about a small intervention

that teaches people how to sort of hold

their breath but not exactly how to

basically ride out physical discomfort

that gets in the way of making a

difficult change and to tell you about

two different studies that are basically

using the same technique so you can kind

of pick your willpower challenge here

the first I call the the torture chamber

this was a study of smokers who wanted

to quit but had been unable to and the

researchers asked the smokers to abstain

from smoking for 24 hours sort of a

first Challenge and then to come into

the laboratory with a fresh unopened

pack of their favorite brand of

cigarettes so all the smokers show up

they've got their pack they are

desperate for a smoke and they even like

carbon monoxide tested them to make sure

they hadn't smoked so they had all they

were really they were ready for a

cigarette they seated at a long table

and asked to put away all distractions

except for a lighter or match and their

cigarette so we got a bunch of smokers

now they're ready and then the

experimenter is about to begin the

process of allowing them to smoke and

she says through actually a microphone

like that you hear this voice that says

take out your pack of cigarettes and

everyone does they're all excited woo

stop okay they have to wait two minutes

now and they're not allowed to do

anything except look at their pack of

cigarettes

pull off the cellophane okay great

stop

two minutes they have to wait pack it oh

there's Patsy I don't smoke I forget

some of these steps I had to pack the

pack too and they got the cellophane

open okay take out a cigarette finally

stop they have to wait two minutes and

this goes on and every two minutes they

they're writing down how intense their

Cravings are and how much they want to

smoke but other than that they're not

allowed to do anything take a cigarette

out stop two minutes look at the

cigarette stop two minutes smell the

cigarette stop two minutes

put the cigarette in your mouth stop two

minutes take out a lighter look at it

stop two minutes

this went on for over an hour nobody was

actually allowed to light the cigarette

okay so here's what the I didn't tell

you what the actual intervention was yet

half of them before this happened had

been taught a technique called surfing

the urge in which you learn to pay

attention to the physical discomfort of

wanting something

you give it your full attention and you

trust that you can tolerate those

physical Sensations and if you just wait

with patience they will go away that any

craving any emotion will eventually pass

if you can just breathe and wait wait it

out that you don't have to act on every

impulse or emotion so that's the

technique they were taught they were

surfing the urge they were imagining

those Cravings as a wave that they were

getting on and they were just going to

breathe and they knew that it would

eventually end just like a wave before I

tell you the results of this study let

me just give you the food one the food

went a little bit different they took

people who had problems with

self-control around food especially

sweets gave them a clear container of

Hershey's Kisses transparent container

and they had to carry that box of

Hershey's Kisses around with them for 48

hours and we're not allowed to eat a

single one and they were all carefully

marked a little pin scratch so that the

researchers would know if they ate them

and restocked it which would not be cool

and they were taught the same technique

about how to handle Cravings how to surf

the urge allow yourself to feel the

craving and yet remember you don't need

to act on it and the craving will go

away eventually okay so the result in

this study the smokers who had been

taught how to surf the urge in that that

one hour torture test they ended up

reducing their cigarette smoke by 40

percent in the very next week even

though the researchers had not asked

them to the control group did not reduce

their cigarettes at all and

interestingly in that the people who had

learned to surf the urge there was now

no longer a connection between

psychological stress and smoking which

is actually that that's the main

connection for a lot of people who are

trying to quit they're stressed out

they're anxious and so they need a

cigarette and in this particular group

with this intervention it cut that link

between stress and giving in probably

because they had a tool for dealing with

difficult feelings and emotions in this

study the people who had trouble with

self-control around food if they were

taught to surf the urge zero had a

single Hershey's Kiss over the entire 48

Hours whereas those who've been given

other strategies including distraction

ended up much more likely to give in and

also really stressed out about it so

these are just two different examples of

how surfing the urge can give us a lot

of willpower for the things where we

need willpower you know a lot of times I

hear people talk about how important it

is to build good habits but the reality

is sometimes you need strength to do

something difficult and there's no habit

in the world that's going to make you

not want a cigarette when you see it or

want a donut when you see it or make you

want to avoid something because you're

anxious there's a real impulse and a

real feeling that you need to deal with

and this power of acceptance seems to be

the best strategy for dealing with these

difficult emotions these difficult

thoughts and these difficult cravings

and any attempt to kind of push them

away or get rid of them backfires but

being able to ride them out and imagine

them as passing experiences that you

don't need to act on has been shown to

help a lot of different willpower

challenges including the kind of anxiety

that leads us to not do things we know

we should do

intrusive thoughts you know that's a

real willpower challenge sometimes our

mind goes places we don't want it to go

to Memories or to things we're imagining

or to negative thoughts about ourselves

and others and research shows you can

apply the same technique to a negative

thought without having to act on it it's

been shown to improve weight loss this

technique of learning how to accept your

own Cravings tripled the long-term

one-year weight loss success rate among

people who are in a really standard

weight loss program if you want to apply

this technique to any willpower

challenge yourself here's what that

small intervention would look like for

yourself here's what people were taught

in both of those studies and the first

is this mindfulness to allow yourself to

feel what you're feeling or think what

you're thinking and to actually attend

to the experience rather than

immediately try to escape it so if

you're hungry actually notice like what

does hunger feel like in my body where

if you're anxious what does anxiety feel

like in my body right now and then to

actually just breathe breathe it out use

the breath as a source of stability you

know what you're feeling take a few

breaths and then broaden your attention

out and look for the first opportunity

to recommit to your goal that's what

they were taught in both the smoking

study and in the Hershey's Kiss study

and it's a technique that you can

practice it takes like 30 seconds and

and it can help with any sort of

willpower challenge five willpower rules

and I would just invite you to think if

you heard anything today that might be

relevant to your willpower challenge to

give yourself this short dose the small

dose intervention and and see how it

works so those five strategies one is to

train your willpower physiology by

meditating by sleeping by exercising or

by eating a diet that's going to sustain

your energy forgive yourself the next

time you have a willpower setback make

friends with your future self kind of

think about the future in a way that

feels real predict your failure even

though it's really nice to imagine

success really get interested in the

process of how you fail and then finally

think about surfing the urge when you

are facing temptation

[Music]