--- title: How to Increase Willpower: 10 Secrets From Research description: Exercising self-control in one area of life tends to improve it in all areas of life canonical: https://time.com/3953736/increase-willpower-research/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-17T04:01:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:06:00.770Z article:section: Ideas og:title: How to Increase Willpower: 10 Secrets From Research og:description: Exercising self-control in one area of life tends to improve it in all areas of life og:url: https://time.com/3953736/increase-willpower-research/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt47fd0a01edca08f8/69885a70428a9ee83bcce1da/man-climbing-mountain.jpg?branch=production&width=478&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 478 og:image:height: 269 og:image:alt: man-climbing-mountain og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Increase Willpower: 10 Secrets From Research twitter:description: Exercising self-control in one area of life tends to improve it in all areas of life twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt47fd0a01edca08f8/69885a70428a9ee83bcce1da/man-climbing-mountain.jpg?branch=production&width=478&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How to Increase Willpower: 10 Secrets From Research > Sponsored content. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: Joyce Carol Oates Speaks at NCCC Commencement 2015 [Watch (HLS stream): Joyce Carol Oates Speaks at NCCC Commencement 2015](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/SVZDC95h.m3u8) (19:30)  _Published 2015-05-21. Joyce Carol Oates Speaks at NCCC Commencement 2015_ by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jul 17, 2015 4:01 AM UTC  Climber ascends steep rock above mountains, valley Climber ascends steep rock above mountains, valley Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jul 17, 2015 4:01 AM UTC Some insights about willpower from research, with links to the studies: * [Practicing a little willpower every day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-easily-increase-your-willpower) increases self-control over time. * For immediate results: [tighten your muscles](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-firm-muscles-equal-firm-willpower), [sit up straight](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-a-quick-and-easy-way-to-make-yourself-t) or [cross your arms](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-easily-increase-your-persistence-in-ju). Or just think about [money](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-should-you-think-about-to-immediately-in). * Get enough [sleep](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-lack-of-sleep-make-us-unethical) and don’t miss [meals](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-hungry-judges-give-harsher-sentences). More shut-eye will stop you from [wasting time on the internet](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-stop-wasting-so-much-time-on-the). Skipping breakfast [can lead to murder](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-skipping-breakfast-lead-to-murder). * Context is key. [Those around you](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-the-body-size-of-those-you-eat-with-affe) exert more influence on your behavior [than you think](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-having-an-overweight-waitress-make-you-bl). * Don’t get cocky. Thinking you have great self-control [leads to failure](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/think-you-have-good-self-control-yes-now-you). Sometimes [little temptations are harder to resist than bigger ones.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-you-more-likely-to-cave-to-weak-temptatio) * Saying “I’ll never do that again” [makes you even more likely to do that again.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-saying-ill-never-do-that-again-make-you) * The key to resisting temptation [is postponement. ](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-postponement-the-key-to-resisting-temptati) * Improve your posture and [you’ll improve your willpower](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-an-easy-way-to-increase-self-control). Exercising self-control in one area of life tends to improve it [in all areas of life](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-not-doing-something-the-most-important-thi). * Want something that can help you increase willpower? Buy a [mirror](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-everyday-object-can-motivate-you-to-work). * [Self-discipline](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-better-than-iq-at-determining-who-will) better predicts success than IQ. For more tips on how to increase willpower from the leading researcher in the field, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/07/willpower/). **Join over 190,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/03/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-willpower/)**_._** Related posts: [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) [How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/10/how-to-get-people-to-like-you/) [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3953736/increase-willpower-research/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3953736/increase-willpower-research/"},"headline":"How to Increase Willpower: 10 Secrets From Research","datePublished":"2015-07-17T04:01:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:06:00.770Z","description":"Exercising self-control in one area of life tends to improve it in all areas of life","url":"https://time.com/3953736/increase-willpower-research/","keywords":["Psychology","willpower"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt47fd0a01edca08f8/69885a70428a9ee83bcce1da/man-climbing-mountain.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt47fd0a01edca08f8/69885a70428a9ee83bcce1da/man-climbing-mountain.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"man-climbing-mountain","caption":"man-climbing-mountain","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3953736/increase-willpower-research/","name":"How to Increase Willpower: 10 Secrets From Research"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Joyce Carol Oates Speaks at NCCC Commencement 2015","description":"Joyce Carol Oates Speaks at NCCC Commencement 2015","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/SVZDC95h/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-05-21T20:28:21.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/SVZDC95h.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3953736/increase-willpower-research/","duration":"PT19M30S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3953736/increase-willpower-research/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```