FILEX PRESENTER
THE KEYS TO
STRENGTHENING WILLPOWER
By helping clients train their
brains to get better at forgoing
immediate gratification, we can
assist them in reaching their
long-term goals, writes exercise
scientist Dr Morwenna Kirwan.
One brain, two minds
Researchers have long considered that
although we have only one brain, we have
two minds. That is, it can be helpful to think
about our behaviour, and our choices, as
if we have two independent ‘minds’ that
function with different motives.
We have a mind that only cares about
immediate gratification. This short-term
focused mind cares about maximising
pleasure and minimising stress, pain
and discomfort. When this mind is most
dominant, we have a narrowed focus and
often make impulsive decisions, such as
choosing the chocolate cake for a snack,
rather than the handful of almonds. We don’t
consider long-term consequences.
Conversely, we have another mind: one
that sees the bigger picture, that cares about
long-term goals and is willing to tolerate
discomfort in order to reach them. When this
mind is most dominant, we think through our
decisions carefully, we weigh up the pros
and cons, we consider the consequences
of our choices and we check in to ensure
that making a certain choice aligns with our
long-term goals. When we decide to go for a
run rather than sit on the couch and binge-
watch Netflix, we are tapping into this long-
term focused mind.
It’s helpful to consider that these two
minds interact constantly in the brain,
resulting in a state of ‘inner conflict’. We
want to reward ourselves now, but we also
want to attain goals that require us to forego
immediate pleasure.
NETWORK AUTUMN 2019 | 43