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Articles on Willpower

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For many people, trying to lose excess fat is very difficult without help. Effective treatment is available when obesity affects health. (Shutterstock)

The obesity epidemic is fuelled by biology, not lack of willpower

Despite the prevalent view that people with large bodies should simply eat less and move more, it’s nearly impossible to fight our genetic heritage or other factors that are not within our control.
A nurse dispenses liquid Methadose, an FDA-approved medication that helps people addicted to opioids. Whitney Hayward/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Myths about will power and moral weakness keep people with opioid use disorder from receiving effective medications like methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone

Prescription medications can help people with opioid use disorder avoid the risks of relapse and overdose. But stigma based on misperceptions about addiction limits their use.
Many people attribute their coffee drinking to the need to feel more alert, but research shows that habit is just as big a driver behind caffeine consumption. Westend61/Getty Images

To break unhealthy habits, stop obsessing over willpower – two behavioral scientists explain why routines matter more than conscious choices

Understanding and changing the environment in which habits form is a critical step when it comes to breaking unwanted behaviors and forming healthy ones.
Saying you won’t put yourself in situations where you will be tempted to eat junk food is easier than resisting at the time! Upsplash/Thomas Kelley

9 ways ‘won’t-power’ is better than ‘willpower’ for resisting temptation and helping you eat better

The problem with using willpower is that your head has to keep saying “NO” to the constant barrage of messages, advertising and environmental cues that operate 24/7, prompting you to eat and drink.
Self-control is a major problem for many of us, so failure to maintain New Year’s resolutions isn’t surprising. Apionid/Flickr

Four psychological tricks to help stick to your New Year’s resolutions

Every year, millions of people around the world make New Year’s resolutions. And every year, the great majority of us break and abandon those resolutions. Psychology research can help.

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