New Research You Must Read

New Research: Self-Control Requires a Shot of Sugar

Do only coaches, teachers and therapists have to exercise self-control
on-the-job? How about folks on a diet, parents with kids, and executives
influencing and convincing their corporate team?

Profound Fact: This may be the most practical scientific research of 2007.

Every time you exercise self-control in not shouting at-or- shooting friends, family and business associates, you use up your available supply of glucose (blood-sugar).
It is your glucose availability that affects you ability to resist temptation.

Self-control uses up your glucose fuel supply. So says Roy F. Baumeister of Florida
State University and Kathleen D. Vohs, University of Minnessota.

1. Your 3 pound brain requires 23% of all the oxygen you inhale; when you
are learning or testing, your brain requires an additional 10% or 33% of
all available oxygen.

2. Glucose (blood sugar) is required to fuel all your muscles in order to walk,
think and act. Like gas in your car, glucose is depleted with self-control.
Once emptied, your self-control is riding on fumes, and you explode at
yourself and others.

3. Aha. You need glucose to resist temptation, exercise self-control, and to
learn and remember.

4. Remember it this way: the more you exercise self-control, the more it wanes.

The Kicker

So? Here what the researchers did: Two groups took Stroop Tests requiring the
exercise of self-control. Group A was given lemonade with Splenda, a sugar-free
sweetener and Group B drank lemonade with real sugar, both after the exercise of
self-control testing.

Group B (real sugar) outperformed Group A (artificial sweeteners) in the next
set of tests by up to 50%. Why? The Glucose was replenished by the drinking of sugar. Yes, there was a control group, and real sugar was the conclusive winner.

We have all been brainwashed that real sugar causes diabetes and makes you fat
as an elephant. Only indiscriminate intake of sugar in food and drink may
exacerbate blood sugar. Remember the line from the song, “A spoonful of
sugar makes the medicine go down!”?

A cup of coffee or tea, even cocoa in the course of your day, does not initiate
diabetes or create obesity. What it does is excite the creation of glucose,
your fuel of life.

Coda: you do not have to be a coach, teacher or therapist to want to improve
your ability to exercise self-control; you, me and the rest of Homo sapiens are
in the business of persuading and influencing others. The secret is replenishing
your glucose with real sugar. How about a candy bar before exams? Indeed.

Google: 12.04.07 published in the journal, Association for Psychological Science.

Temptation

When you give into temptation – an alcoholic falling off the wagon and taking
a swig – you heart reflects it.

Self-regulation is your ability to inhibit your impulses – like sticking to your
diet, controlling your emotions, and exercising persistence and determination
to solve a problem.

Guess what? You have a limited amount of self-regulation and once depleted, you fall off the wagon. But you already figure that out, right?

New research at the University of Kentucky offers evidence there is a biological
indicator (gas tank) that measures our resistance level to temptation. When it hits near empty, we become impulsive and subject to jerky decision-making.

HRV

Heart Rate Variability (good old HRV) monitors your state of self-regulation.
Get this: when you are working to resist eating the chocolate donut instead of
chomping on Bugs Bunny’s carrots, not shoot your significant-other, or maiming your business associates, your heart rate soars and snitches on you.

So what? This offers scientific evidence of the link between self-regulation and
your cardiac response. What we have is a feedback mechanism to indicate
when we lose or exercise self-control.

Let’s consider it as feedback between the three structures of your brain.
Reptilian complex (autonomic nervous system and instincts), Limbic System
(emotions), and Neocortex, our reasoning and analysis processes.

When we exercise self-regulation, our heart reflects it as a significant cardiac
change. This knowledge offers options to improve your behaviors and live healthier.

Google: 3.22.07 published in the journal, Association for Psychological Science.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Poor body posture, incorrect positioning of your keyboard, screen and mouse
cause neck, back pains and often lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.

This computer-usage study followed 500 students (ages 12-18) and reports, after 2-3 hours of daily typing or surfing the Internet, students suffer the same neck, back and hand disabilities as adults.

Ergonomist Robin May Gillespie says, to avoid these pains, the mouse must be as
close to your body as possible, keep your hands flat on the keyboard (avoid bending
your fingers), and lower your monitor to keep your neck straight.

The more you bend your hands over the keyboard, the greater the risk of
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Unless you have experienced your hands freezing
up on you with pain on use, CTS is a meaningless caveat. It really hurts and
lingers up to 5 years.

Do This

Start by being aware of how long you have been sitting at the computer –
and become oblivious to the clock. Every 45 minutes, takes your hands off
the keyboard, stand up and shake you hands vigorously for 30 seconds.

Next, become aware of your shoulders and drop them, and roll your neck
in a circular and counter-circular direction for 30 seconds each way.

Some folks make sure their chair at the computer can be adjusted to line up
looking down at the monitor. Looking upward inflames your neck muscles.

Endwords

Think about this new research on glucose and self-control, temptation,
and how you unconsciously create computer rituals of behavior. It is your health at
stake.

May we suggest you consider expanding your personal productivity skills.
You have the ability to read-and-remember three (3) books, articles and
reports in the time others can hardly finish one. This leads to acing
exams at school and scoring promotions in your career.
Ask us how.

copyright 2007 H. Bernard Wechsler
www.speedlearning.org
hbw@speedlearning.org