Self-control or strategy?

Ana Edna GO Author

In the 1960s, psychologist Walter Mischel developed the “marshmallow test” with the initial idea of identifying the mental processes in people that can delay the arrival of a reward and those that succumb.

The test consisted of taking the children, separately, to a room where there was only a chair and a table. A marshmallow and a bell were placed on the table. The instruction was: I'll leave you a marshmallow that you can eat whenever you want. If you wait for me to come back, and you haven't eaten the marshmallow, I'll give you another one and then you'll have two to eat. If you have eaten the marshmallow when I return, you will lose the opportunity to get another one. If you ring the bell, I'll come, but you'll also lose the chance for me to give you another marshmallow. Some children waited without eating the marshmallow and others ate it.

Mischel continued to monitor the progress of the children who attended the test for years. In 1980 he began a stage of monitoring that continued until those children became adults. At this stage he realized that the children who had eaten the marshmallow during the experiment were prone to having behavioral and attention problems; while children who had waited had better long-term academic, economic, and social achievements.

In 2014, Mischel and his collaborators, with the help of neuroscience, monitored the activity of the brain areas of these same people and found that the brain areas that are activated are different for those who manage to delay rewards and those who succumb to temptation. of the moment.

At the brain level, we first develop the emotional zone, which makes us act quickly to protect ourselves from danger (the amygdala), but which also makes us act without thinking about the consequences.

The area that helps us think rationally, resist temptation, and take into account the consequences of our actions (the prefrontal cortex) develops later. It is the area of our brain that is activated by thinking creatively, using our imagination, working on long-term goals, learning effectively, and solving problems.

When the prefrontal cortex is activated, the amygdala decreases its activity. In stressful situations, the prefrontal cortex decreases its activity, and the amygdala takes control.

So, in order to think clearly taking into account the consequences of our actions, the first step is to reduce stress.

Once we are calm, we can deliberately divert our attention as a way of controlling our thoughts and increasing our power to make cool-headed decisions, rather than succumbing to the emotion of the moment.

It is not simply about having self-control, but about having the ability to generate strategies to distract our mind when we find ourselves in tempting or stressful situations.

These steps can help you reduce stress and deliberately distract your mind when you find yourself in a tempting or stressful situation:

1. Calculate the reward or benefit of thinking before acting or speaking.
2. Deliberately change activities to divert your attention from the tempting or stressful situation.
3. Breathe deeply, fully aware of what is happening in your body as you do so.
4. With a calm mind, think about what you can do or say to maintain harmony or so that your decision brings benefits to everyone involved.

Remember that you can train your brain for this. Practice, be consistent, and celebrate your progress.

Categories: : Our Brain, Start Smart -> Grow Strong