7 Science-based Steps to Increase Tenacity and Willpower: Embrace the suck buttercup: the science and brain area (aMMC) responsible for willpower and tenacity.
Have you ever felt like not doing the hard tasks during your day? That there is no motivation to get out of comfort and do the uncomfortable? The dishes, laundry, (home)work or whatever it may be. Then this article is for you as it describes one of the most interesting structures in the entire nervous system that might change momentum and your view on hardship, tenacity and willpower. It is called the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) and read further on learning how this brain area can be leaveraged for increasing tenacity and willpower.
When encountering difficult tasks, focus on the effort and determination required rather than the immediate outcome. This mindset can enhance aMCC activity and improve your ability to persevere.
Nexus of control
Situated medially and centrally in the brain, the aMCC is a nexus of control. This specialized neocortical brain region participates in large-scale brain networks underlying attention, motor, and limbic processes. The neocortical brain regions are the newest brain regions stemming from evolution and are responsible for perception, conscious movement, language, reasoning and abstract thinking. The aMCC is situated in this region (one on each side of the brain) and is responsible for, but not only, motivation and tenacity.
Studies in humans and nonhuman mammals suggest that the aMCC is essential for initiating changes in behavior, making associations between reward and action and determining the action necessary to obtain a goal.
The aMCC receives a lot of interesting inputs relating to reward, autonomic function (how alert or sleepy we are), to prediction (and prediction error). It is a hub for many inputs, including hormone systems. The work of Josef Parvizi at Stanford has shown that when the aMCC is elecrically stimulated;
In other words, Parvizi has shown that if you stimulate the aMCC they (the subjects) immediately feel as if some challenge is impending and they’re going to meet that challenge. The subjects had another brain surgery already and were therefore more easily included for this experiment.
The aMCC is a forward center of mass against challenge response. This has been seen in independent subjects, and researchers have done controls when they tell they are stimulating the aMCC, but in fact they are not. So, there is literally a hub in the brain for meeting challenges and overcoming challanges, that can be turned on and off with electrical signaling.
The aMMC is malleable and can be influenced with behavior!
A few practical examples that depict the practical implications of the aMCC:
Individuals that are dieting or resisting some sort of tempting behavior and are successful in doing that, the size and activity in their aMCC goes up over time and the structure gets bigger. On the other hand, dieters that fail show a flat or declining trajectory of the size and activation of the aMCC. This can also go too far, like in anorexia nervosa, where self-deprivation of food activates excessive reward loop with the aMCC. Their aMCC is also significantly larger compared to others. Therefore, bigger does not necessarily mean better.
Super agers, elderly people who maintain healthy cognitive function like people in their twenties and thirties while they are into their seventies and eighties, their aMCC increases or maintains in size during their later years. In fact, a common thing we hear is that we lose brain mass across our lifespan, well most of that is from the aMCC. As quoted from the study:
“Given that cognitive effort is especially costly for older adults, does this preserved aMCC function and cognitive ability in superagers indicate a more ‘tenacious’ attitude towards challenging tasks? As aMCC activity is associated with exertion of effort in response to multiple cognitive demands, persistence in the face of difficulty should be associated with greater aMCC activity during memory performance. Indeed, during difficult trials on a memory task, elderly people show greater aMCC activity than during easier trials.” Source: The Tenacious Brain: How the Anterior Mid-Cingulate Contributes to Achieving Goals
Another cool 6-month study is that they gave elderly people (60–79 years) the task of adding 3 extra hours of cardiovascular exercise per week, to get their heart rate up to 65–70% of maximum. 3 hours more per week is a lot and requires tenacity and willpower to not do other comfortable things. That six-month protocol offset the normal age-related decline of the aMCC compared to controls.
I really want to highlight the result above, if subjects are given an easy task, the aMCC is not activated. If subjects are given a hard task instead, in particular something they really don’t want to do, the aMCC activity goes through the roof. The research shows very clearly what we need to do, that is doing things that are hard that you don’t necessarily enjoy.
Put effort in when you don’t feel like doing so
Let’s say you like lifting weights or running. Well guess what, even if those activities are hard, if you enjoy a hard run or those last two or three challenging reps, those activities are not going to increase the size and activity of the aMCC, and therefore do not increase willpower and tenacity. Training to failure may be very effective in increasing muscle mass, but it certainly does not contribute to increases in the aMCC, at least according to what the research data shows.
Instead, you should focus on what Dr Andrew Huberman (neuroscientist at Stanford) calls doing the micro or macro sucks of the day. Of course, you don’t want to do things that are going to damage you psychologically or physically. But everyone would benefit in picking a few micro and macro sucks where you must breach some barrier to do the task. By doing the micro and the macro sucks of the day you generate a bigger aMCC that you can devote to other endeavors, as it crosses into another domains of your life as well.
7 Steps to Leverage the aMCC for Increased Tenacity and Willpower
1. Understand and Embrace the aMCC’s Role
- Acknowledge the significance of the aMCC in overcoming challenges and exerting effort. Recognize how this brain structure supports motivation and resilience, setting the foundation for personal growth.
2. Incorporate Challenges into Daily Life
- Regularly engage in activities that push your boundaries. Mix in both micro and macro challenges throughout your day, such as tackling a difficult project or resisting unhealthy cravings, to actively stimulate the aMCC.
3. Commit to Physical and Mental Exercise
- Dedicate time to cardiovascular activities that elevate your heart rate within the 65–70% maximum range for at least three hours weekly. Additionally, seek out cognitive challenges by learning new skills or languages to further engage and develop the aMCC.
4. Set Goals and Monitor Your Progress
- Clearly define your objectives for enhancing tenacity and systematically track your progress. Adjust your strategies as needed to ensure you are continuously challenging the aMCC without overexerting yourself.
5. Reflect and Adjust Your Approach
- Take time to reflect on your experiences, focusing on how overcoming challenges has contributed to your growth and resilience. Use these reflections to adjust your approach and maintain a balanced challenge level.
6. Practice Mindfulness and Stress Management
- Incorporate mindfulness, meditation, and deep breathing exercises into your routine to manage stress effectively. Balancing challenge with relaxation is key to sustaining mental health and aMCC engagement.
7. Seek and Offer Support
- Don’t hesitate to reach out for support from your community or professionals when facing particularly tough challenges. Likewise, offer support to others, fostering a supportive environment that encourages growth and resilience.
By following these steps, individuals can actively engage their aMCC, leading to improved motivation, tenacity, and willpower, ultimately enhancing their ability to face and overcome challenges.
In other words: embrace the suck buttercup.
Learn more:
How to Increase Your Willpower & Tenacity | Dr Huberman Podcast
