Firm Muscles Lead To WillPower
Christopher Philip
Over the course of five studies researchers Iris Hung, assistant professor of
marketing at the National University of Singapore, and Aparna Labroo, associate professor of marketing at the Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, it was found that firming up ones muscles leads to firmer will power.
These findings are reaching, as people routinely take part in exercises of self control. For example, people routinely need to choose healthy foods rather than junk foods, they need to exercise rather than take part in sedentary lives and need to go to work, rather than perpetually participate in vacation.
The studies showed that when people flex their muscles they are better able to withstand immediate pain, overcome food temptation, consume unpleasant medicines and attend to immediately disturbing but essential information.
The results falls in line with embodied cognition which says that our cognition is more than that contained within our brain – rather cognition is encompassed by our entire body.
According to the results, the researchers say that “one’s body can help firm willpower and facilitate the self-regulation essential for the attainment of long-term goals.”
Indeed!
Experiment #1 – Clench Your Fist and Open Your Heart for Haiti
In the first experiment participants were asked to either grasp a pen in their fist or as in the control condition hold a pen between their index and middle fingers. They decided not to have participants hold a tight fist by itself because it might embody mental rigidity.
Next the participants viewed disturbing images relating to the plight of those in Haiti. They were then asked to make a donation (or not). Thus, the subjects were being tested for their ability to attend to disturbing and immediately aversive charity appeal and part with their own money to help others in need.
Results showed that 92% of those in the muscle-firming condition chose to make a donation to Haiti whereas only 72.4% of those in the control condition chose to do so.
Therefore, firming muscles helped people overcome their aversion to parting with their own money.
Experiment #2 – Icy Hands And Frozen Resolve
In this experiment subjects were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. They included a muscle firming, muscle relaxing or no instruction (for their left hand). Their right hand, however, was immersed in an ice bucket and remained there for as long as they could bear.
As before, the muscle firming hand position was created by instructing the participants to hold a pen in their fist. In the muscle-relaxing condition, participants were told to allow their left hand to rest freely while holding a pen between the index and thumb.
The length of time participants could keep their hands immersed represented their self control.
Results showed that those who clutched the pen in their fist were able to keep their right hand immersed for 126 seconds which was significantly longer than 73 seconds in the loose pen condition. When participants were not given any instructions, they could remain in the ice water for 69 seconds.
Once again, firm muscles led to greater self control and persistence in the face of a challenge.
Experiment #3 – The Will To Consuming Vinegar
In this experiment, subjects were set in conditions were they were required to consume as much of a nasty tasting, but healthy tonic. Some of the participants were primed about the long-term health benefits of the tonic and others were not. They were also divided, as before, in muscle firming and relaxed hand postures.
The results mirrored those of the previous study. When participants firmed their muscles, they consumed 176 milliliters of the tonic versus 127 milliliters. Additionally, those who cared about the long-term health benefits consumed 268 milliliters versus 160 milliliters for those who did not.
Once again, the results support the contention that muscle firming helps support willpower.
“By contracting their muscles, participants who valued becoming healthy in the long term—and only those participants—were able to consume more of a nasty tonic that presumably would fulfill a goal of becoming healthy,” say the researchers.
Experiment #4 – Real Life Snack Bar Test
Whereas the first three experiments tested and found that muscle firming helps people withstand more pain, the fourth experiment sought to test whether muscle firming helps people resist immediate pleasures and avoid indulgences to assist in achieving long-term goals.
The third experiment recruited subjects located near a snack bar. First, subjects reported on their long-term health and fitness goals. As they worked through a survey, they were primed via questions pertaining to indulgences and willpower.
The subjects were then asked to hold a pen by either weaving it between the stretched fingers of their nondominant hand (muscle firming) or loosely weaving it through their index and middle fingers. The subjects were told that they were being measured with respect to their ability to multitask in a shopping context. The subjects were then permitted to go to the snack bar and choose whatever items they desired.
As expected, results found that when subjects reported a health goal, they tended to purchase more healthy snacks. This was not found in those with an indulgence goal who presumably did not wish to summon willpower.
Experiment #5 – Willpower in Short Supply
The final experiment sought evidence of whether or not people should firm their muscles to summon willpower and whether willpower once expended will become depleted.
Previous research has found that in fact, willpower is in short supply and if firming muscles leads to self control, and it is done in advance of it being required, willpower itself, should be diminished when it is really needed.
In this experiment, subjects were recruited whom were all currently on a diet. From there, subjects either firmed muscles by contracting their biceps (flexing) or loosened their bicep (extending their arm) and did so before rather than during – when self control was required.
The subjects were then read a scenario involving self control – a person on a diet who was to either reject or accept a temping treat. Afterwards, the subjects were told the experiment was over and they should now choose, for themselves, an indulgent chocolate bar, or not.
Results showed that when muscle firming was done prior to exerting self-control, subsequent self-control was impaired. This is thought to be, as discussed, because self-control is in limited supply.
Drawing Conclusions
Together the experiments tell us that muscle firming makes people more able to resist the mental pain of opening their minds and hearts to the misfortunes of others (exp 1), to tolerate physical pain of submerging their hands into cold water (exp 2), to bear the pain of consuming a healthy, but unpleasant tonic (exp 3) and to resist momentary pleasures of tempting foods (exp 4).
We also found that willpower is not limitless and that firming muscles during a difficult task, rather than before, preserves willpower (exp 5).
Overall, we therefore, found that muscle firming augments willpower and self-control.
Muscle firming was also done in a variety of ways with the same results. It was done by clenching one’s fist, stretching one’s fingers, tightening the calf muscles, and firming the biceps.
Self control tasks were also varied from resisting immediate pain for future gain to resisting tempting food.
The study also clearly demonstrates how entwined the mind is with the body; when the body is controlled – so too are temptations on the mind.
Importantly, controlling the body affects control of the mind in strategic manners consistent with specific goals.
The current research is easily and naturally applied to life. If one wishes to exert control over our minds, it requires a concerted effort. While facing particularly difficult or challenging tasks – even if mental in nature – firming the body by tightening muscles activates our will.
Image Credit: Rikard Elofsson
Resources
Hung, Iris W. and Aparna A. Labroo. From Firm Muscles to Firm Willpower: Understanding the Role of Embodied Cognition in Self-Regulation. Journal of Consumer Research. 2019 37(6): 1046-1064. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/657240