Here's the summary statement: "A new study, published in Psychology and Health, reveals that if you use your willpower to do one task, it depletes you of the willpower to do an entirely different task."
If we are trying to build communities where people are able to formulate and carry through moral choices which often may involve resisting temptations to do more easy or conformist things, then we clearly need to be helping people to find the time to rest adequately to 'rebuild their moral fibre'. This has implications for the way we run our churches, clearly. I feel vindicated in trying to help create less frenetic communities of the kin_dom...
But perhaps that's skipping too far ahead, after all the research is about resolving to exercise. However, it's hard not to think that it has wider significance. Sabbath is not the only strategy for 'building moral fibre' ...
"There are strategies to help people rejuvenate after their self-regulation is depleted," she says. "Listening to music can help; and we also found that if you make specific plans to exercise—in other words, making a commitment to go for a walk at 7 p.m. every evening—then that had a high rate of success."
She says that by constantly challenging yourself to resist a piece of chocolate cake, or to force yourself to study an extra half-hour each night, then you can actually increase your self-regulatory capacity.
"Willpower is like a muscle: it needs to be challenged to build itself,"
So routines and habits can help as can exercising moral fibre. I'm guessing a supportive social environment is going to help too.
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