Willpower
A new book, “Willpower, Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength,” by Dr. Roy Baumeister and John Tierney, came out earlier this year. It has some very interesting findings that could help the spa and wellness world structure programs for greater success.
Jessica Alquist, one of Dr. Baumeister’s researchers, spoke at the 2012 GSWS in Aspen, Colorado. Here are some pearls of wisdom from her presentation:
- Willpower, self-control, self-discipline, all mean basically the same thing: the ability to control our thoughts, our feelings and our behaviors.
- Self-control is the key skill that really changes people’s lives.
- A famous marshmallow study showed that children who were better at self- control when they were very young – also ended up doing better in school and later in life.
- Self-control is a better predictor of college grades than the IQ test.
- Self-control is a lot like physical strength – when you exercise a muscle, it becomes fatigued and eventually unusable. After one act of self-control, the next one becomes harder.
- Decision-making relies on the same resource that self-control relies on. If you have people make a bunch of decisions, they then show poorer self-control. If you have people exert a lot of self-control, they then have more trouble making decisions or end up making poorer decisions.
- Decision-making takes resources. There is something about decision-making that may take away from the restorative process. (Spas might want to consider reducing the amount of decision-making guests need to do… think menus, etc.)
- People with high self-control experience temptation less often. They structure their environment to not be overly tempting. (Spas might want to consider reducing temptations for guests…think fewer buffets, no brownies in the locker room, etc. as it taxes guest’s will power)
- People with good self-control (willpower) don’t keep a lot of junk food in their homes. They keep their lives structured so that they’re not tempted unnecessarily.
- Make lifestyle changes sequentially, not all at once. Instead of tackling several lifestyle improvements at the same time (think New Year’s Resolutions) just select one at a time. (Spas could coach guests to take small, individual steps.)
- Habits don’t require self-control. If someone gets into a habit (like going to the gym daily or not eating sugar, etc.), it won’t tax their self-control to continue doing that.
- If people want to change their behavior, the habit research shows that one of the best things for them to do is to go to a new environment. (This bodes well for the spa industry.)
- Self-control actually relies on glucose because the brain needs fuel. Ironically, when people diet they are denying their body the very fuel they need to control their behaviors. This is one of the keys to why most people do not (cannot) stick to diets.
- You can strengthen self-control. Cultivating mindfulness is one way.
Delve deeper into this topic:
- View the PowerPoint presentation
- Watch the video
- Read the full transcript
Or join the conversation with our question of the week: Do you think spas should reduce temptations for their guests?
Why?
Spas should offer the finest services and do the best they can at their
chosen craft.
Where does this question come from?
Denise Ashcraft
Yoga Inspired
Some spas have brownies in their locker rooms. Some spas (destination spas) have alcohol available, some don’t. Some have buffets, others don’t. The research cited in the blog (book on Willpower) argues that reducing temptation…not having sweets, caffeine, alcohol and such around would make it easier for people to make lifestyle changes. It’s a bit like not having those things in the house makes it easier for people to stick to healthier diets.
The question is whether or not you agree…why or why not.
Susie
I think there are different ways for spas to apply this research: One way, as suggested in the question, is for spas to consider ways to reduce temptations for their clients in order to avoid depleting their willpower resources so that they can use those resources more effectively. This, however is a short term solution and only provides an immediate benefit for the hours following their spa treatment. That being said, I do think spas should consider this idea to create a safe, stress free environment, where guests are not burdened with too many decisions so that they do come out of their spa experiences feeling recharged, not only physically, but also psychologically.
But here are a few other things spas can do to help their clients with self-control:
1. They can educate their clients about how self-control works so they better understand why it might fail them and how to avoid situations that might lead to a lapse in self-control.
2. They can help their clients to develop more self-control, by giving them tools and/or exercises to help them develop their self-control muscles. Mindfulness exercises are a good example that would fit well into a spa experience. Practicing returning your attention to the breath, for example, is a good exercise in self-control.
3. They can teach their clients strategies to help them bypass their self-control muscles all together (habits, rituals, and “implementation intentions” or “pre-deciding” what they will do when tested so they are not relying on your self-control to guide you.)
4. Help them develop a future time perspective. Self-control is usually required to prevent people from doing what feels good in the short term in order to hold out for a better future goal. The more people are focused on the future, the easier it is for them to choose the paths with the best future outcomes.
5. Another short term solution (rather than avoiding temptations) is to allow guests to indulge while in the spa. Sometimes “giving in” to an indulgence could be a good way to conserve your self-control for something more important.
I think this research is so key to everything we do in the spa and wellness industry that I am sure we are only scratching the surface in terms of direct applications for spas.
Jeremy
People want to strengthen their willpower (as one piece of evidence, Roy Baumeister’s book on the topic was a New York Times bestseller list), and the research suggests that improvements to willpower really improve people’s quality of life. Despite this, there are few places (besides psychology experiments!) for people to cultivate the skills needed to successfully exercise willpower.
I definitely don’t think spas have any responsibility to cultivate willpower and I don’t think it fits well with all spas’ missions. However, some spas may want to consider integrating some willpower training into their experience. I love Jeremy’s suggestion of helping guests form implementation intentions (“if/when x, I will do y”). Research suggests that when people tie a desired behavior to a specific time and place (rather than just thinking about doing it), they become way more likely to do the behavior. I think many guests would be receptive to a spa experience that both rejuvenates them and gives them the skills to make specific, desired changes in their lives.
I think life is a beautiful smorgasbord of choices. Obviously if it is a weight loss spa I don’t see why they would put out brownies, but if it’s a spa that is meant for all people to find bliss then why not?
I believe that caffeine, alcohol, and sweets are wonderful in moderation.
Denise