Toronto (ECN) - It's 1 o'clock in the afternoon and already, the clicking of the second hand on the clock has begun to get louder and louder. Lunch is beginning to wear off, so that last kick of adrenalin to get the day over is kicking in. No matter how hard you try, thoughts of what comes later dance in your head. Laundry, pick up the kids, dance recital, and fixing dinner. Already the never ending day is taking a toll on your will. But, to top it off, the boss sticks his head in the door 40 minutes before it's time to get off and asks you to pull a longer shift. It's important. It depends on the future of the office. How can you resist?
An associate professor of Kinesiology at McMaster University named Steven Bray, did a study on the human willpower stored at any given time. It addresses the mental and physical exhaustion that as humans, we deal with when meeting deadlines. The implications that were reported in the journal of Psychology and Health, involved the difficulties in maintaining a strict exercise regimen while having a n office job that is extremely stressful.
The brain, which is a huge part in response to stress and stimuli, is a big factor in how much will you have as well as how long it can be sustained. His test was based on a two group study that spent time on stationary bikes. After the exercise, half were exposed to the Stroop Test. Test subjects had to name the word of a color that were printed in different colors. The idea is to resist looking at the color and read the word. The other group was asked to rest.
The group that performed the test did not exercise as hard as the group that rested. Thus, his conclusion that willpower can be used up, making it harder to exercise or stay on a diet.
