Willpower Ch: 1

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Questions and Answers

What is a notable aspect of Amanda Palmer's persona?

Victorian and repressed

Dionysian in nature (correct)

A traditional romantic figure

Conventional and disciplined

How did Amanda Palmer formally announce her engagement?

In a public concert

During a televised interview

Through a newspaper article

Via a morning-after confession on Twitter (correct)

What prompted Amanda Palmer to adopt the persona of the Eight Foot Bride?

Influence from street performances in Germany (correct)

A desire to become a professional actress

Advice from her music mentor

Inspiration from traditional wedding ceremonies

What experience did Palmer credit as part of her 'ultimate Zen training ground'?

Posing as a living statue Signup and view all the answers

What challenges did Amanda Palmer face while performing as a living statue?

She was sometimes insulted or attacked by passersby Signup and view all the answers

What impact do long work hours have on personal relationships, according to Baumeister's research?

They drain emotional energy, leading to increased conflicts. Signup and view all the answers

What was a notable outcome observed from the radish experiment involving emotional control?

Emotional control efforts depleted participants' willpower, reducing stamina. Signup and view all the answers

What does the 'white bear challenge' illustrate about human thought control?

Thought suppression often leads to the opposite effect, increasing unwanted thoughts. Signup and view all the answers

What differentiates the white bear from subjects' mothers in the thought control experiments?

Mothers are associated with complex emotional baggage, while white bears are neutral. Signup and view all the answers

What did the hand squeezing experiment reveal about emotional management?

Exerting control over emotions depletes physical endurance regardless of expression. Signup and view all the answers

What was the main mental challenge faced by Palmer while posing as a living statue?

The inability to move or react to stimuli Signup and view all the answers

How did Palmer typically structure her work during a day of performing?

Working in short bursts followed by longer breaks Signup and view all the answers

What main effect did the radish experiment demonstrate about willpower?

It can become fatigued and reduce a person's perseverance Signup and view all the answers

What behavior did students in the radish condition exhibit towards the cookies?

They longingly observed and smelled the cookies but did not taste them Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements best represents the conclusion drawn from the radish study?

Willpower behaves like a muscle that can be fatigued Signup and view all the answers

What is the effect of trying not to think about a white bear on subsequent cognitive tasks?

It leads to a quicker loss of concentration on tasks. Signup and view all the answers

What term did Baumeister use to describe the diminished capacity to regulate thoughts and feelings as a result of exerting willpower?

Ego depletion Signup and view all the answers

Which part of the brain is involved in monitoring conflicts between intended actions and actual behaviors?

Anterior cingulate cortex Signup and view all the answers

What was Freud's theory regarding the conversion of instinctual energy into social behavior called?

Sublimation Signup and view all the answers

What was the method used by Inzlicht and Gutsell to study brain activity related to ego depletion?

Electroencephalographic recording (EEG) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Amanda Palmer and Willpower

Palmer's persona is described as Dionysian, not Victorian or repressed.
Her unconventional engagement announcement (on Twitter) reflects a lack of traditional formality.
Her success requires practice, even for a seemingly uncontrolled persona. Living statueship proved a form of Zen training.

Street Performing as Zen Training

Palmer's "Eight Foot Bride" performance, began in 1998, involved posing motionless on a box.
People would insult, throw things, or try to make her react.
The physical aspect was learning to not react, including resisting coffee-induced tremors, not moving her eyes, or reacting to people.
The mental discipline outweighed physical exertion.
The performance consumed ninety minutes of standing at a time.

The Radish Experiment

Demonstrates willpower as a finite, depletable resource.
Students resisting cookies and chocolates showed diminished later perseverance on geometry puzzles.
The findings challenge and contradict some theories of self-control.
Willpower is like a muscle, tiring with use, similar to an athletes muscles

Ego Depletion

Ego depletion is the diminished capacity to regulate thoughts, feelings, and actions after exerting willpower.
Ego depletion can be caused by other factors such as decision-making.
This has been shown by many experiments involving various subjects, in numerous contexts.
Ego depletion affects all areas of willpower such as emotional control, performance control, and impulse control.

Detecting Ego Depletion

Ego depletion doesn't manifest consistently in terms of observable emotions.
A general increase in the intensity of feelings (e.g., sadness, joy, fear) is a good indicator.
Its particularly relevant to people with addictive behaviors because cravings strengthen when willpower is diminished

Willpower Conservation

Willpower can be consciously or unconsciously conserved, especially for future use.
The presence of potential rewards often enhances people's ability to persist past inevitable ego depletion.
Conversely, lack of foresight regarding future demands can also lead to an earlier exhaustion of willpower.

Lessons on Willpower

People have a limited amount of willpower.
Willpower is not compartmentalized (i.e., it's used for all tasks).
Using willpower for one task affects your ability to use it for others.
Focusing on one task at a time is key to managing willpower, and maintaining progress.
Overloading oneself with too many tasks reduces willpower availability and makes mistakes unavoidable.
Avoiding a multitude of New Year resolution, is advisable because willpower is finite and competing goals deplete it faster.

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Description

Explore the unique perspectives of Amanda Palmer's persona and her innovative street performances as forms of Zen training. This quiz delves into the psychological concepts of willpower and self-control demonstrated through real-life experiments. Gain insights into how willpower can be both a physical and mental discipline.