Willpower

[ursidae]

Does the knowledge of the chemical aspect of willpower make people too cerebral? Does reducing it to a biochemical process cripple the individual psychologically ? Would it make one lose the ability to exert willpower by sheer force of intent?

 

[Ben.]

Does the knowledge of the chemical aspect of willpower make people too cerebral? Does reducing it to a biochemical process cripple the individual psychologically ? Would it make one lose the ability to exert willpower by sheer force of intent?

Interesting question. Hope i do not understand it wrong.

I dont think it does anything like that. Unless the knowledge somehow is a ever present information constantly there, consciously preventing the previous state to occure again. Which i doubt is the case unless one has a neurological ailment.. Maybe in that moment where you think about it or where you are aware of it, but not generally, not long lasting. Nor do i think one can loose something so intrinsically.

We always, despite the best knowledge, fall into our primal self where we go after things depending how we feel. This is where habits determine our success.

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I know people do not agree with me on this, but i think our ability to have willpower/psychological health is tied to our current physioligcal/biochemical situation. In that sense it might have never been this independend force that makes impossible possible, but we had the hormonal, energetic ability to feel like that and, perhapse falsely, believe that willpower goes beyond our physical capabilities. Yet it was alwas tied to it. To eachother. Never has been independend of eachother.

But that is just my opinion/experience ofcourse.

 

[OccamzRazer]

Does the knowledge of the chemical aspect of willpower make people too cerebral? Does reducing it to a biochemical process cripple the individual psychologically ? Would it make one lose the ability to exert willpower by sheer force of intent?

Yes, I think you're onto something.

Mind > matter in most cases. While matter can and does influence mind, the inverse is more true.