Is There Any Science Behind Willpower? Possibly, and It Could Influence Long-Term Goals

There’s a birthday cake in the conference room. A dish of sweets at the reception. A box of Girl Scout cookies that someone left in the break room with a note saying “help yourself!” »

Although some people may happily think “I don’t mind if I do” while grabbing a Samoa, others may try to avoid the treats in favor of giving in to temptation later in the day. With a cookie in hand, they can announce that they simply have no willpower around chocolate.

Motivational psychologists are discovering that it’s not just about whether a person believes they have willpower. The amount of willpower a person believes they possess can influence both daily choices and the setting of larger goals.

“When people say things like ‘I don’t have willpower with cakes’ or ‘I don’t have willpower with social media,’ it highlights something important — even though our beliefs about willpower can be quite general and shape the way we approach self-control, it doesn’t mean that someone is equally good at self-control in all areas of life,” said Christopher Mylnski, a faculty member at the University of Vienna in motivational psychology. Discover.

What is will?

Willpower is how a person perceives self-control and, according to a 2026 study from the Journal of Experimental Psychology, beliefs in willpower can shape how people approach tasks. This can be related to self-discipline in the face of daily challenges, like: Do I have the willpower to go to the gym at 6 a.m.? Or do I have the willpower to not eat the whole basket of tortilla chips?

Beliefs in willpower also shape a person’s actions in goal setting. According to a study carried out in 2024 in Motivational science.

Willpower is a complex belief: A person may believe they have self-control in one area, like going to the gym, but not in another, like eating Thin Mints.

How to measure willpower

In recent years, scientists have discovered that the amount of willpower a person believes they possess can influence their ability to resist temptation or achieve their goals, according to a 2015 study by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

If a person believes that willpower is unlimited, they are more likely to work toward a goal. But if they believe that willpower is a limited resource, then they are more likely to take breaks, work more slowly, and have lower expectations.

A person may also be ready to give up or give in if they believe willpower is a depleting resource. For example, if a person feels tired in the afternoon, they may feel like they no longer have the willpower to resist the urge to help themselves to a slice of cake in the break room.

“This is particularly problematic because when someone considers it impossible to resist temptations, the importance of their goal no longer really matters. In their mind, it’s no longer about motivation; it’s more about whether resisting is possible,” Mylnski told Discover.

Tap into willpower

Whether we view willpower as an unlimited or limited resource can impact the extent to which a person is willing to challenge themselves. In 2026 Journal of Experimental Psychology In the study, participants answered questions regarding their beliefs in willpower. They then had to solve math problems. Participants who believed willpower was an unlimited resource were more willing to challenge themselves and take on more problems.

Participants who felt that willpower was lacking were less likely to increase the difficulty.

But considering willpower to be unlimited does not mean that a person will never give in to urges or challenge themselves. Rather, it means they are less likely to view self-control as impossible.

“The main difference is that they don’t interpret these moments as evidence that self-control is impossible due to a depleted resource; they are more likely to see them as situations where the temptation was unusually difficult or not worth resisting,” Mylnski said. Discover.

Learn more: Macaque monkeys could unlock the brain’s secrets behind motivation and inspire new mental health treatments

Article sources

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