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I’m obsessed with psychology. Lately, this addiction has led me to study habits and the science of habit change. A habit I’m attempting to ingrain in da brain is the habit of writing at least one blog post per book I read. I want to do this because I see many opportunities to help people change their lives if they learned what really is a simple science.

The book I finished today is Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. The title may sound grandiose but I assure you, it isn’t. There are two variables that social scientists have discovered are the best predictors for life success; IQ and Self-Control. IQ is hard to improve, but what modern science is coming to understand, is that Self-Control is improvable.

Willpower

What is even more impressive, recent research is showing that Self-Control is the most important predictor of life success (if you are of the more skeptic and analytic type, satisfy yourself and read the book.) These authors think sharing the science of improving Self-Control is “psychology’s best hope for contributing to human welfare.” I agree with them, and sharing this science is what this post is about.

To frame this in a familiar context: The single most important trait to improve, thus by improving, will make everything else easier or unnecessary is Willpower (the “energy” behind Self-Control.)

Willpower has three laws

• You have a finite amount of Willpower that becomes depleted as you use it.
• You use the same stock of Willpower for all manner of tasks
• Exerting Willpower results in the brain metabolizing glucose or ketones.

So, Willpower is the force behind Self-Control. Willpower is like a muscle and can be improved through training. Your Willpower runs on glucose and ketones. We increase our Willpower by deliberately changing a habit.

If this is unclear, here is what is important; to improve your life, start by changing a habit.