Thursday, September 30, 2010

Self-Control and Muscles

I recently read a psychology research paper on self-control (insert joke here). The authors survey various scientific research literature on self-control as a limited resource within human capacity. In short, the authors use a "strength model" to study self-control as a type of muscle. Like a muscle, self-control if not worked out consistently will weaken, and like a muscle being worked out, self-control will increase. Here is one interesting finding that came out of this study: Self-control exerted in one area for an extended duration will weaken self-control in other unrelated areas. For instance, individuals trying to quit smoking exerted self-control in refraining from smoking, say while at work, but then if they were subjected to a stress event after work, then their resource for self-control was seemingly depleted, and they "caved-in" and smoked. In another test, dieters exercising self-control in not eating certain foods, lacked sufficient self-control when dealing with frustrating situations. A number of other laboratory tests were done demonstrating the same effect. Like a muscle being worked out, self-control it seems needs a rest period to recover strength and build-up.

There are a number of interesting thoughts and/or implications we can draw from this study. One, if self-control is a limited resource, then what preoccupies our mind and thoughts is critical. If you are stressed out and spending all your self-control efforts on just maintaining composure, then what will you have left for resisting temptation in other areas? I am reminded of Psalm 10:4, "In all his thoughts there is no room for God." We are limited human beings with limited mental capacities, and so we need to choose carefully what we exercise our thoughts of self-control upon. Two, we need to practice the spiritual discipline of Sabbath rest. Without regular sabbath rest, our muscles of self-control will atrophy and we will sin more easily. Three, the discipline of fasting is a good way to workout our self-control muscles, so that after we break-fast, we will have increased strength of self-control in resisting temptations. Four, and finally, if self-control is a part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:23), then can we actually deplete the resource of self-control? While the Spirit of God is unlimited in self-control, we are not! Perhaps one reason God permits us to experience situations that are beyond us is so that we will deplete ourselves and turn to him? But if this is true, and the Holy Spirit is unlimited in the fruit of self-control, then can we honestly say Christians are known for their extraordinary self-control?

You can read this research paper for yourself at: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.112.8019 or google, "Self-Regulation and Depletion of Limited Resources," by Mark Muraven

--Terry

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