Afraid you don’t have the willpower to cut back your impulse buying? Here’s an intriguing solution. Simply clenching your muscles can increase your willpower, found Aparna A. Labroo at the University of Chicago and Iris W. Hung at the National University of Singapore.
Over five studies, the researchers found that people who intentionally firmed their muscles, by making a fist, for example, could shore up their willpower to endure short-term pain for the benefit of long-term gain. The study didn’t involve spending money, specifically, but the results translate to avoiding impulse spending, Labroo said in an interview.
If you’re in a store, standing in front of a tempting purchase you know you shouldn’t buy, firming your muscles — hand, finger, calf and biceps were among the muscles tested — should help you resist, she said.
Researchers did not test whether the size of the clenched muscle determined how much willpower was created. So, no word on whether it’s most beneficial to clench your biggest muscle, the gluteus maximus, as you stand in a store tempted to buy. Gregory Karp, Chicago Tribune
