Wednesday, February 5, 2014

After hitting the books for a few hours, should you refresh by going out for coffee and logging on to Facebook?

New research from Stanford University suggests, not everyone needs a study break. In fact, we only need breaks because we believe we need them.

A team of psychologists from Stanford University found that people's personal beliefs about willpower determined how long and how well they were able to work on challenging mental tasks.

“Students who believed in unlimited willpower — defined as the ability to control oneself and suppress impulses — were able to think and study for longer and more fruitful spells." "Those who believed in limited willpower — and in the need for movie breaks and Snickers bars during exams — weren't as productive”.

So next time you hit the books, unless of course you are hungry or tired, you do not necessarily need to eat, rest or engage in a physical distraction to recharge your body. You could simply be more productive in your studies by re-evaluating your personal beliefs about willpower. In other words, "if you think willpower as something that is not easily depleted, you can go on and on."

Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Stanford University.
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/october/willpower-resource-study-101410.html

Journal Reference:
Veronika Job, Carol S. Dweck, and Gregory M. Walton. Ego Depletion—Is It All in Your Head?: Implicit Theories About Willpower Affect Self-Regulation. Psychological Science, 2010; DOI: 10.1177/0956797610384745

Here is the full article