Willpower in My Blood: How Glucose Affects Success
You don’t need willpower to do what you love. But do you know really successful people who lack willpower?
Willpower, or self-control, is undoubtedly one of the factors for success in work, overcoming harmful habits, and anything else. Where does it come from, and why do some people have more of it than others? Maybe the reason lies in genes, upbringing, regular training, or proper motivation? Everything is much simpler! According to some psychologists, it’s all about the level of glucose in the blood.
An experiment regarding blood glucose, conducted by Gailliot M. T., Baumeister R. F., DeWall C. N., Maner J. K., Plant E. A., Tice D. M., Brewer L. E., & Schmeichel B. J. in 2007, established the following:
- acts of self-control reduced blood glucose levels;
- low levels of blood glucose after an initial self-control task predicted poor performance on a subsequent self-control task, and initial acts of self-control impaired performance on subsequent self-control tasks, but consuming a glucose drink eliminated these impairments;
- a single act of self-control causes glucose to drop below optimal levels, thereby impairing subsequent attempts at self-control.
The 2007 study was not groundbreaking in its kind and confirmed the results of an earlier study by Baumeister in 1998. By the way, Roy Baumeister is the author of books and articles on the subject of willpower. He compared willpower to a depletable muscle and introduced the concept of “ego depletion.”
After such convincing evidence, it’s not difficult to imagine some sweet tooth. Let’s call him Rocky. Due to his craving for sweets, the guy has weight problems. But Rocky wants to be like the Rocky from the movie: strong and without extra weight. Instead of running and eating eggs in the morning, Rocky has sweet cereal for breakfast, and on the way to work, he eats a croissant with sweet coffee. During the day, he snacks on chocolate bars or drinks soda.
Rocky wants to be slim and healthy but can’t resist sweets because of his stressful job or something else very stressful. He lacks willpower… But wait! Is it possible? Now we know that willpower depends on the level of glucose in the blood.
If we assume that self-control’s dependence on blood glucose levels is absolutely true, then perhaps the most self-disciplined people would be sweet lovers.
Where is the power of will located?
The human brain indeed consumes glucose. Glucose is the fuel necessary for the brain to perform various tasks, not just for self-control.
Self-control depends on the functioning of the prefrontal cortex and the frontal lobe. These brain regions also enable a person to control deliberate actions, focus attention, intend, and make choices. The prefrontal cortex and frontal lobe do not operate autonomously but interact with other brain regions, particularly when it comes to self-control tasks.
However, the authors of the 2007 study, Galiot, Baumeister, and others, argue that self-control tasks are the most energy-demanding. They also claim that by the end of the day, the blood glucose level decreases, which consequently reduces willpower.
So, what decreases at the end of the day — willpower or overall energy (known as fatigue)? At the end of the day, especially after an intense one, people usually need rest and sleep for recovery. Even if you eat glucose like a horse, it won’t help.
What is willpower?
If scientists are correct in their research, could this mean that willpower does not exist? At least in the sense, it is commonly understood.
Different eras, different disciplines, and different authors provide slightly different definitions of willpower. Willpower is compared to restraint, determination, or even courage.
To me, willpower seems close to humility. Humility is well-known in the Christian tradition and means preferring God over one’s ego. In the Buddhist tradition, there is a similar perception of humility — giving up one’s own desires.
However, within the scope of this article, I will not delve into philosophical searches for the perfect definition of willpower. My consideration of willpower here is as simple as possible. In my definition, I start from the premise that the need for self-control arises where there is an obstacle, and therefore a need to overcome that obstacle.
Willpower is needed to overcome:
- Internal resistance, such as negative beliefs, prejudices, reluctance to complete tasks, or unwillingness to give up something.
- External resistance, where additional efforts are required to do better, faster, or more than usual.
In other words, willpower is needed when there are not enough resources, or when there is not enough desire (even if there are enough resources, including glucose). Or, if both are lacking.
Based on the above, in the context of this article, I consider willpower (self-control) as a person’s ability to force themselves to act (or refrain from action) when a person doesn’t want to, or in conditions of extraordinary difficulties.
I highlight self-control as an independent ability, separate from whose will a person is following — their own (e.g., when achieving their goal) or someone else’s (e.g., following orders). There can be a debate about whether self-overcoming is an act of will, but I won’t dwell on that.
I do not claim that such a simple definition of willpower, as the ability to force oneself to act, is the only correct one. Nevertheless, I believe it is necessary to clarify the concept because that’s what I’m discussing here — the ability to make oneself stop or move faster.
Sweet super fuel
Regardless of the application vector, willpower remains a limited resource.
Similar to nitrous oxide in a sports car from the Fast and Furious movie, willpower helps you surpass time, circumstances, and even yourself. Like nitrous oxide, we can only use willpower in short bursts. Both quickly deplete and make us overheat.
Willpower may be needed at the start. For example, when you’re not in the mood for physical activity, but you do the first exercise, and then everything goes smoothly.
Willpower may be needed at the finish line to make a final push and win the race. For example, there are a couple of hours left until the end of the workday, and you are very tired, but you decide to work hard in those two hours before your upcoming weekend, during which you will relax.
But you can’t drive the entire road on nitrous oxide from start to finish. Not even Dom Toretto can do that. When your willpower runs out, your health starts to run out, you burn out, slow down, and the finish line keeps moving away on the horizon.
If you constantly need the willpower to make yourself work, perhaps it’s worth finding another job — a job that you’re passionate about, where you won’t need to constantly push yourself?
Not only glucose
What about the ketogenic diet? The keto diet is becoming increasingly popular. The brain quickly shifts from using glucose to using ketone bodies when carbohydrates are restricted in the diet. This means that ketones can be an alternative fuel for the brain.
Fans of the keto diet claim to feel good. At least, there have been no reported cases of people turning into zombies after the keto diet. Furthermore, the keto diet can have a positive impact on cognition and mood. Of course, there can be side effects as well, and these vary from person to person, so medical supervision is necessary. But this confirms that glucose may not be the brain’s only source of nutrition. In this case, we should probably expect new research on “Ketones as a source of willpower.”
To claim that blood glucose affects willpower is like saying, “global warming affects beer supplies” By the way, this is not a joke.
And it’s not that this is untrue, but such statements seem strange. The problem is that people tend to isolate and divide information. That’s how our brain works. But in doing so, the overall whole doesn’t disappear. Everything is interconnected, even global warming with willpower.
It’s obvious that beer prices will rise, just like prices for other products dependent on climate change. It’s clear that glucose has a certain influence on the brain, considering self-control.
So, what should we do now to maintain an adequate level of self-control? Constantly sip soda or rinse our mouth with a glucose solution like experiment participants? I wouldn’t rush into it because there is another opinion in the scientific community regarding the powerful impact of glucose on self-control.
Miguel A. Vadillo, Natalie Gold, and Magda Osman, in their meta-analysis point out that the results of several similar studies significantly differ from the results of Gailliot et al. (2007) and are not as significant. Furthermore, the study raises suspicion of bias in Gailliot et al.’s (2007) results as a possible explanation for the substantial difference between the findings of similar studies. Nevertheless, a relatively small correlation between blood glucose levels and self-control tasks is confirmed.
However, don’t rush to get cakes and soda. A sufficient level of glucose can be provided by a regular balanced diet. But we’ve known this for a long time, haven’t we?
To maintain a normal glucose level, it’s necessary to consume an adequate amount of carbohydrates. It’s much better if these are not simple carbohydrates like glucose, which are quickly absorbed (candies, honey, grapes), but complex carbohydrates (pasta, oats, chickpeas), which release their energy gradually over an extended period.
The quantity of carbohydrates is even more important for a person’s health than their quality. Excess carbohydrates (even the right ones) are excess calories, and therefore, excess weight. In reality, a person needs very few carbs per day to feel good (I’m not a doctor or nutritionist to tell you exactly how many carbs you need per day, that’s what you have GPT for).
So, we’ve discussed glucose — a person needs a small amount of complex carbohydrates to ensure the normal functioning of the brain, including willpower. But let’s not forget about complexity: a sufficient level of carbs is just one of the factors for having willpower.
When we talk about healthy nutrition, it’s worth mentioning healthy sleep as well. Adequate sleep is no less important than a sufficient level of carbohydrates. If we haven’t slept enough, no matter how much we rinse our mouths with glucose, we won’t become more alert. Sleep affects our cognitive functions and self-control. Without quality sleep, we become less attentive, more irritable, and have a harder time restraining ourselves. In other words, if you want to be a good person, you need good sleep.
For example, Jeff Bezos said in his interview that he goes to bed early and sleeps at least 8 hours, and he always tackles the most challenging tasks in the first half of the day. Is this willpower or rational task planning and energy distribution?
Self-control and overall energy level are clearly not the same. Energy level or alertness depends on health, age, nutrition, and sleep. Self-control depends on the energy level. But still, self-control is primarily a person’s choice.
Willpower is a skill of a special kind. The ability to make oneself overcome one’s own weaknesses or external circumstances is undoubtedly an advantage. But I would say that our efficiency depends more on our overall well-being and the balance of forces in life than primarily on willpower. In other words, if the car is broken and not fueled, a nitro boost is unlikely to help.
Move faster… but where to?
“The best battle is the one that never happened “.
Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”
The best use of willpower is the absence of its use. No, I don’t mean that we should always choose the easiest solutions and avoid difficulties.
We should listen to ourselves to understand if the expenditure of such a valuable resource as willpower is truly necessary in a given situation. For example, if you’re tired after a long flight and have time to sleep, you don’t need coffee, glucose, or willpower. You need sleep.
Listening to oneself is valuable not only in specific situations but also in a broader sense. Understanding yourself, your strengths, and your weaknesses, allows for long-term planning. We can’t calculate every probability like a superintelligence from “Mission: Impossible” (2023). However, we can set a course, thus creating conditions where the need for willpower is reduced.
Why do we need willpower at all? Of course, for our goals. Our focus should primarily be on the goal, not on the ability to force ourselves to do (or not do) what we don’t want.
We can’t think about our goals at every step. But from time to time, we should remind ourselves of what it’s all for. For a better figure, for better health, for a fuller life.
The better you understand yourself and your goals, the better you’ll be able to plan your path. Short stretches of the journey can be covered through willpower. There’s no need to avoid difficulties. No one has yet managed to avoid difficulties (on any path). You should plan your path in a way that you don’t have to constantly force yourself to follow it.
Values are a very important guiding point when setting goals. If you’re not living in accordance with your values, you’re not living in harmony with yourself. How can you then be happy and effective in what you do? If the goal aligns with your values, you’ll need to force yourself less.
Therefore, an essential skill of a successful person is not only the ability to force oneself but also the ability to get enough sleep, eat properly, engage in physical activity, as well the ability to focus on what’s most important, understand yourself, your values, and set goals in line with those values. Knowing where we’re going allows us to choose the best path. And even if the chosen path turns out to be as sweet as glucose, willpower will never be redundant.
