PSYC19H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Twinkie Defense, Twinkie, Impaired Glucose Tolerance
PSYC19 Willpower Chapter 2: Where does the power in willpower come from?
• The Mardi Gras theory: shamelessly indulging in your desires (e.g. stuffing yourself with
fatty food) before a season of fasting and self-sacrifice to store up the willpower
necessary to sustain yourself through it
• A lab gave ice-cream, magazine or joyless drink to participants in between waiting for
willpower studies. Both the ice cream and the joyless drink did seem to strengthen
willpower unlike the magazines.
-this shos the Mardi Gras theory as rog though eause it shos you do’t eed
happy self-indulgence
Brain fuel:
• Glucose allows self-control (we now know this may be BS) by turning into
neurotransmitters-if you ra out of eurotrasitters you’d stop thikig
• Researchers found hypoglycemics were more likely to have trouble concentrating and
controlling negative emotions
-hypoglycemic were also reported to be prevalent amongst criminals and other violent
persons
-Twinkie defense: Dan white killed two people. Psychiatrist cited his consumption of
twinkies and other junk food days before but his attorney argued that he suffered from
diiished apaity due to seere depressio ad his juk-food consumption is a
result of it. He got away with a light sentence.
• Some studies showed correlation between blood sugar and criminal behaviour. One
study found below-average glucose levels in 90% of juvenile delinquents
• Other studies reported that people with hypoglycemia were more likely to be convicted
of a wide variety of offenses: traffic violations, public profanity, and shoplifting,
destruction of property, exhibitionism, public masturbation, embezzlement, arson,
spouse abuse, and child abuse.
• Researchers measure glucose tolerance (inability to convert glucose into energy) of
convicts about to be released. Just by looking at the response to the glucose test, the
researchers were able to predict with greater than 80 percent accuracy which convicts
would go on to commit violent crime because of less self-control (once again probably
BS)
• Researchers found that diabetics tend to be more impulsive, have more explosive
temperaments, likely to get distracted while working on time-consuming task, more
likely to abuse alcohol, have anxiety, depression, less able to cope with stress etc. Why?
These requires self-control which requires glucose to fuel your brain
• Glucose-deprived people were less likely to persist in a difficult video game and less
likely to restrain themselves from acting out aggressively
• They tested dogs. Had depleted the y haig the oey sit ad stay oads
for is. These dogs did’t persist i gettig a treat compared to control who
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