We've all had that moment: you wanna punch some jerk right in
the face. So, what stops us? Well, simply put, self-control.
But it turns out each of us has a limited quantity of self-
control. Past studies have shown, for example, that stopping
yourself from taking a cookie for about an hour is likely to
increase your aggression later that day.
And there are tricks to increase our stash of control. A new
study shows you can practice it, as one would practice any
new skill,
For two weeks researchers had subjects use their non-dominant
hand for daily tasks: navigating a computer mouse, drinking
coffee, etcetera. The tasks require constant self-control,
because they were restraining their natural inclinations.
And the scientists found that for those who practiced their
self-control skills also controlled their aggression better
than others who had not participated in the exercise. The
study is in the journal Current Directions in Psychological
Science.
So we can increase our capacity for self-control. And the way
we do that doesn't have to be as drastic as using your non-
dominant hand. The researchers say even committing to keeping
your posture straight can also keep you from punching out that
jerk.