PartI:SummaryWriting(40points)Readthefollowingarticlecarefully,andthenwriteasummaryofitinabout200words.Willpower:It’sinYourHeadByGREGWALTONandCAROLDWECKPublished:November26,2011ISwillpoweranillusion?Isthetraditionalnotionofadeepmentalreservoirofstrengthafiction?Inrecentyears,thepopularanswerhasbeenyes.Ourabilities,accordingtothisargument,areconstrainedbythenarrowlimitsofourbiology.Inher2008book,“HealthatEverySize,”thenutritionistLindaBaconarguesthat,becauseofhowthebrain’shypothalamusworks,itisa“myth”thatanyonecanwillhimselftoloseweightbymaintainingadiet.“It’snotyourfault!”shewrites.“Biologyissopowerfulitcan‘make’youbreakthatdiet.”Thisyear,intheirbook“Willpower:RediscoveringtheGreatestHumanStrength,”thesocialpsychologistRoyF.BaumeisterandtheNewYorkTimessciencewriterJohnTierneysurveyalargebodyofscientificresearchtoconcludethatwillpowerislimitedanddependsonacontinuoussupplyofthesimplesugarglucose.Whenglucoseisdepleted,youfallpreytoimpulseshopping,affairsandcookies.Thesolution?“Trytogetsomeglucoseinyou,”Mr.TierneytoldNPR.Suchtheorieshaveanobviousappeal:attributingfailuresofwillpowertoourfixedbiologicallimitsjustifiesourprocrastinationaswellasourgrowingwaistlines.Notonlythat,wealsogettoconsumemoresugar.Butarethesetheoriescorrect?Wedon’tthinkso.InresearchthatweconductedwiththepsychologistVeronikaJob,weconfirmedthatwillpowercanindeedbequitelimited—butonlyifyoubelieveitis.Whenpeoplebelievethatwillpowerisfixedandlimited,theirwillpoweriseasilydepleted.Butwhenpeoplebelievethatwillpowerisself-renewing—thatwhenyouworkhard,you’reenergizedtoworkmore;thatwhenyou’veresistedonetemptation,youcanbetterresistthenextone—thenpeoplesuccessfullyexertmorewillpower.Itturnsoutthatwillpowerisinyourhead.Inonestudy,wefirstgavepeopleeitheraneasy,rotetask(likecrossingoffeverylettereinapageoftypewrittentext)oramoredifficulttaskthatinvolvedself-control(likecrossingoutsomee’sbutnotothersaccordingtoacomplexsetofrules).Theneveryoneperformedatrickycognitivetaskinwhichtheyhadtoexertself-controltoavoidmakingmistakes.Whentheinitialtaskwaseasyandwillpowerwasn’trequired,peopledidwellonthetrickycognitivetask,makingfewmistakes.Butwhentheinitialtaskwashardandinvolvedself-control,peoplewhobelievedthatwillpowerwaslimitedmadealmosttwiceasmanymistakesonthetrickycognitivetaskasdidthegroupthatperformedtheinitialeasytask.ThisfindingreplicatesmanystudiesbyDr.Baumeisterandothersthathavebeeninterpretedasevidencethatwillpowerislimitedandeasilydepleted.But,strikingly,wefoundthatpeoplewhobelievedthatwillpowerwasnotlimitedcontinuedtoperformwellonthesecondtask,makingfewmistakes,evenafterfacingthedifficultinitialtask.Theywerenot“depleted”andkeptondoingwell.Youmaycontendthattheseresultsshowonlythatsomepeoplejusthappentohavemorewillpower—andknowthattheydo.Butonthecontrary,wefoundthatanyonecanbepromptedtothinkthatwillpowerisnotsolimited.Whenwehadpeoplereadstatementsthatremindedthemofthepowerofwillpowerlike,“Sometimes,workingonastrenuousmentaltaskcanmakeyoufeelenergizedforfurtherchallengingactivities,”theykeptonworkingandperformingwellwithnosignofdepletion.Theymadehalfasmanymistakesonadifficultcognitivetaskaspeoplewhoreadstatementsaboutlimitedwillpower.Inanotherstudy,theyscored15percentbetteronI.Q.problems.Wealsostudiedthisphenomenonintherealworld.Inonestudy,wefollowed153collegestudentsoverfiveweeks.During...
