My dog has no willpower. Neither do I.

Willpower, where does it come from? Is it just a question of wanting something enough? In some ways it is but it is far from being that simple.

Motivation comes not only from wanting something but also from how easy it is to attain it. In other words, we are more likely to do something if we really really want to. But if it is easy to do, we will probably do it even if the need isn’t very strong. For example, if we are hungry enough and there is no food at home, we will get off our sofas and get to the corner store for something – anything – to eat. But if we are not very hungry, and someone asks us to try something delicious, we will probably take a bite. The mere presence of the tempting food will motivate us even when there is little intrinsic motivation (hunger).

I say this because we tend to oversimplify the notion of habit change. We tend to assume overweight people, those with substance abuse problems, procrastinators, and people who don’t exercise, all lack willpower. But motivation is also influenced by biological factors, by habits developed over decades of experience, and by the surrounding environment.

This last factor is one often overlooked in habit change. Controlling external stimuli is a critical element. For example, I plan to take my bike to work today. Because I bike a lot and have built up my habit, I have a fair amount of motivation. But it is over twenty kilometres each way and it is really hot and humid out. The fact that my car is air conditioned makes me less motivated to ride to work. But then again because of on-going road work it took me nearly an hour to get home by car yesterday. That increases my motivation. As you can see, my motivation goes up and down because of many outside factors.

Of course if we want something bad enough, nothing will stop us, but rarely does our willpower stay at its maximum for long. An awareness of how we respond to external cues will help keep us on track. For example, knowing this will keep us from all-you-can-eat buffets. There are just too many temptations in such restaurants.

Here’s an interesting thing about my bike ride. In a few minutes I will have to find the motivation to get on my bike instead of my comfortably cool car so I can get to the office. But once I’m there, I don’t have to push myself very hard to double my exercise. I have to get home somehow and the car will no longer be an option. In other words, I have to find the willpower to do the first hour of exercise, but the second hour requires almost no willpower. My external environment motivates me by giving me no choice.

Here is a column I published today in Métro. I wrote it when my dog Deagan was still alive. (Lucy, pictured above, is a dog that visits my office every once in a while. She is not as pig-like as Deagan was but I thought the picture was priceless.) I can still picture him sitting next to me drooling waiting for me to drop a scrap of whatever I’m eating. Here’s to you, Deegie Dog, I saved my apple core for you!

My dog has no willpower
(Source: Difficile de résister aux tentations. Journal Métro, July 16, 2013)

If my dog could talk and we were having lunch together at the factory I’m sure he would say, “Are you gonna finish that sandwich? Cause if not, I’ll eat it for you.”

My dog is a pig, although to be fair to pigs most of them have a lot more self-control. So where is my dog’s willpower and why can’t he stop eating? I’m sure if he could speak he would apologize and agree that he should control himself.

In commenting on overweight individuals, how often have you heard thin people say something like, “Well, they just have to stop eating so much?” Simple isn’t it? Yet why is there an epidemic of obesity in North America? We have an unprecedented awareness of the health risks of excess weight. Plus, we are constantly bombarded with images of rippled abs and perfect bodies we all dream of. Are overweight people not constantly obsessed with efforts to lose weight? Shouldn’t this increase willpower?

The problem is that our drives and motivations are not one-dimensional. The desire to look like a well-sculpted model competes with the instinctive motivation to eat whatever we can in order to prepare for the next famine. Unfortunately – or fortunately – we rarely find ourselves having to forage for beetles and roots. The human instinct is the same regardless of the environment.

Long-term vs. immediate
The desire to control what we eat represents long-term goals. An hour in the gym will not immediately pay dividends at the beach, and refusing a second helping of dessert will not be noticeable on the scale. We work out, or control our caloric intake, because it will benefit us down the road. The desire to eat, however, is a very short-term goal. Food rewards us instantaneously.

This applies to all competing motives. This is why politicians risk their careers to pursue risky sexual adventures, or why doctors smoke, or why indebted gamblers return to the casino. They (or we) all know better. Unfortunately willpower is helplessly submissive when confronted by basic instinct. In the game of motives, short-term tends to trump long-term.

Willpower is important but it can’t do the job alone. Managing our environment and outside stimulation is also important. This is why it helps not to keep junk food or other temptations within reach. When short-term desires are thwarted, our emotions will weaken and give our long-term desires a fighting chance. A slight delay of gratification goes a long way in helping us focus on making the changes we want.

And if you need any help delaying gratification, get a dog like mine. Leave any food around and he’ll make sure it’s out of sight and no longer tempting you.

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Voici la version Française:

Mon chien n’a pas de volonté

Si mon chien pouvait parler et que nous prenions notre pause-repas à l’usine, il dirait : « Finis-tu ton sandwich? Sinon, je vais le manger. »

Mon chien est goinfre, mais pour être honnête, la plupart des goinfres ont plus d’autocontrôle que lui. Alors, pourquoi mon chien n’a-t-il pas plus de volonté et ne peut-il pas s’arrêter de manger? S’il pouvait parler, il conviendrait qu’il devrait se contrôler davantage.

À propos des gens qui font de l’embonpoint, combien de fois entendons-nous des gens minces dire : « Ils n’ont qu’à manger moins! C’est simple! » Alors, pourquoi constate-t-on une épidémie d’obésité, en Amérique du Nord? Nous n’avons jamais été aussi conscients des dangers pour la santé que représente l’excès de poids. De plus, nous sommes constamment bombardés d’images d’abdominaux bien découpés et de corps parfaits. Les gens obèses ne sont-ils pas obsédés par l’idée de perdre du poids? Manquent-ils vraiment de volonté?

Le problème est que nos pulsions et nos motivations ne sont pas unidimensionnelles. Le désir de ressembler à un modèle sculptural entre en compétition avec la motivation instinctive de manger tout ce que nous pouvons en prévision de la prochaine famine. Malheureusement (ou heureusement), nous avons rarement à fouiller la terre, en quête de bestioles et de racines. Mais l’instinct humain, lui, reste le même, quel que soit l’environnement.

Le long terme par rapport à l’immédiat
Contrôler ce que nous mangeons constitue un objectif à long terme. Une heure au gym ne se verra pas immédiatement sur la plage, et refuser une deuxième part de dessert ne fera pas baisser l’aiguille du pèse-personne. Nous nous entraînons, ou nous contrôlons notre apport calorique, parce que nous en tirerons profit, au bout du compte. Mais le désir de manger est un objectif à très court terme. La nourriture est une récompense instantanée.

Cela s’applique à tous les motifs conflictuels. C’est ainsi que les politiciens risquent leur carrière en s’adonnant à des aventures sexuelles, que les médecins fument, ou que les joueurs endettés retournent au casino. Nous sommes conscients de ces dangers. Malheureusement, la volonté se soumet face à l’instinct primaire. Dans le jeu des motivations, le court terme tend à l’emporter sur le long terme.

La volonté est importante, mais elle ne remportera pas la partie à elle seule. Il faut aussi gérer notre environnement et les stimulations extérieures. Il est donc utile de ne pas garder de malbouffe à portée de la main. Lorsque nous ne laissons pas libre cours à nos désirs à court terme, nos émotions s’affaiblissent et nous donnons une chance à nos désirs à long terme de remporter. Un léger retard dans la gratification favorise grandement nos efforts en vue d’obtenir les changements voulus.

Et si vous avez besoin d’aide pour retarder la gratification, procurez-vous un chien comme le mien. Si vous laissez traîner de la nourriture, il la fera disparaître pour ne pas qu’elle vous tente.

Tagged as habit change, intrinsic motivation, motivation, overeating, stimulus-control.

Posted in Human nature.

Posted on 16 Jul 2013