Will and Self-Control: How Genes and the Brain Hinder Us from Resisting Temptations

Why do some people easily resist temptations while others cannot? The author of the book, drawing on the latest scientific data, demonstrates that individuals who find it difficult to resist temptations are physiologically and biochemically different from those who do not face these issues. Due to genetic differences, these individuals have different distributions and functions of neurotransmitters - substances that regulate brain activity. The disturbances can vary: some individuals constantly lack the sensation of pleasure, while others experience such intense sensations from enjoyable things that they cannot resist them. But the outcome is the same: the 'animal' part of the brain - the limbic system, which craves pleasure right here and now, often prevails over the 'smartest' area - the prefrontal cortex, which remembers that immediate pleasure threatens larger life plans. The book contains many tests, and although no conclusions can be drawn from their results about whether you have 'bad' variants of 'self-control genes' and how their influence interacts with environmental factors, indirect signs can still suggest which systems in your brain may be functioning incorrectly. The last part of the book offers recommendations on how you can effectively resist temptations and achieve long-term goals despite issues with self-control.