The Misconception: Willpower is just a metaphor. The Truth:
Willpower is a finite resource. In 2005, a team of psychologists
made a group of college students feel like scum. The researchers
invited the undergraduates into their lab and asked the students
to just hang out for a while and get to know each other. The
setting was designed to simulate a casual meet-and-greet
atmosphere, you know, like a reception or an office Christmas
party – the sort of thing that never really feels all that
casual? The students divided into same-sex clusters of about six
people each and chatted for 20 minutes using conversation
starters provided by the researchers. They asked things like
“Where are you from?” and “What is your major?” and “If you
could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?”
Researchers asked the students beforehand to make an effort to
learn each other’s names during the hang-out period, which was
important, because the next task was to move into a room, sit
alone, and write down the names of two pe