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Jonathan_Graehl comments on Self-Improvement or Shiny Distraction: Why Less Wrong is anti-Instrumental Rationality - Less Wrong
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Muscles are muscles, and you drain them by using them too- it's just that they come back stronger.
I think willpower is actually like this, but my only data for strengthening willpower is personal/anecdotal.
This seems to be similar to how people behave morally- there's the consistency effect that reinforces itself ("I am someone who gives to charity (clearly, since I gave to charity last week) so I'll give again"), but there's also the feeling that you've given enough so you become less charitable shortly afterwards (wasn't there a study that found that people coming straight from church tipped less?)
I don't wish to engage "willpower is X" metaphors any further.
Every experience I've had where I'm tempted to think "you sure have trained your willpower muscle lately" is also entirely explainable by altered self-image, consistency, and habit.
Yes. You really have your work cut out if you want to show some sort of generalized morality or willpower training effect (as opposed to a task specific one).