Key Learnings from the Huberman Lab Podcast on Tenacity and Willpower

Psychological and Neuroscience of Tenacity and Willpower

The podcast focuses on tenacity (persistence under pressure) and willpower (motivation to do or resist things).
Tenacity and willpower derive from the activation of a brain center, integrating internal and external information.
These traits can be enhanced through research-supported tools, but excessive tenacity and willpower can pose mental and physical health risks.

Habit execution is a default neural process requiring little willpower.
Tenacity and willpower involve intervening in default processes, requiring effort and neural energy (chemical and electrical brain signaling).
There is a continuum: tenacity/willpower at one end, apathy/depression on the other. Motivation allows movement up and down this continuum.

Roy Baumeister's initial research suggested willpower depletes like a reservoir, coined "ego depletion."
Ego depletion implies one’s concept of self and external challenges bridge with effort.
Subsequent studies theorized that willpower is linked to glucose, the brain's fuel, showing performance on challenging tasks improved with glucose consumption.

Carol Dweck's research counters Baumeister's, revealing that the belief in willpower as a limited resource affects its depletion.
If people believe willpower is unlimited, their performance remains consistent across multiple challenging tasks without needing glucose.

The aMCC integrates various brain circuit information and is strongly linked to tenacity and willpower.
It has active/sizable responses in high-achieving individuals and diminished activity in depression, obesity, and age-related cognitive decline.
It's highly plastic, meaning we can enhance its function and size, and therefore our tenacity and willpower.

Engaging in moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise three times per week has been shown to increase aMCC volume, improving tenacity and willpower.
This change can positively impact cognitive, emotional, and professional life, suggesting regular engagement in challenging activities reinforces tenacity and willpower circuits.
Adding "micro sucks" or small challenges can enhance aMCC function. This can include anything from extra exercise sets to deliberate mental tasks.

Tenacity and willpower are not just resources but skills with a neural basis that can be developed.
Engaging and resisting behaviors in challenging contexts build up aMCC function, enhancing tenacity and willpower capabilities for future circumstances.
It is vital to maintain a balance and not to push oneself into unhealthy practices. Understanding the neuromechanisms underlying tenacity and willpower can help tailor practices to increase them effectively.

Ensure proper sleep, pain management, and emotional regulation to sustain autonomic function, foundational to tenacity and willpower.
Whether willpower is inherently a limited resource based on glucose levels or not largely depends on an individual’s belief system.
The aMCC's distinct ability to govern willpower is highlighted through various psychology and neuroscience evidence.

When increasing tenacity and willpower, choose activities and resistances that are challenging yet safe and health-promoting.
Rewarding oneself occasionally after overcoming challenges can reinforce behavioral changes.
Maintaining psychological and physical safety is essential when developing tools and protocols for increasing tenacity and willpower.

Access the full video for detailed insights on tenacity and willpower.