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To increase willpower should you focus on greater self-control or greater self-compassion?

Eric Barker
May 11, 2012

Self-compassion.

Via The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It:

Study after study shows that self-criticism is consistently associated with less motivation and worse self-control. It is also one of the single biggest predictors of depression, which drains both âI willâ power and âI wantâ power. In contrast, self-compassionâ being supportive and kind to yourself, especially in the face of stress and failureâ is associated with more motivation and better self-control. Consider, for example, a study at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, that tracked the procrastination of students over an entire semester. Lots of students put off studying for the first exam, but not every student made it a habit. Students who were harder on themselves for procrastinating on their first exam were more likely to procrastinate on later exams than students who forgave themselves. The harder they were on themselves about procrastinating the first time, the longer they procrastinated for the next exam! Forgivenessâ not guiltâ helped them get back on track.

And:

Surprisingly, itâs forgiveness, not guilt, that increases accountability. Researchers have found that taking a self-compassionate point of view on a personal failure makes people more likely to take personal responsibility for the failure than when they take a self-critical point of view. They also are more willing to receive feedback and advice from others, and more likely to learn from the experience.

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Post Information
Title To increase willpower should you focus on greater self-control or greater self-compassion?
Author Eric Barker
Date May 11, 2012 12:11 PM UTC (11 years ago)
Blog bakadesuyo
Archive Link https://theredarchive.com/blog/bakadesuyo/to-increase-willpower-should-you-focus-on-greater.21891
https://theredarchive.com/blog/21891
Original Link https://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/to-increase-willpower-should-you-focus-on-gre/
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