Investigating the positive effects of regular exercise on strengthening willpower and personal development

Abstract

The American Psychological Association defines willpower as: the ability to resist short-term temptations in order to achieve long-term goals. Willpower plays a very important role in the quality of human life. Research shows that people use willpower for self-regulation and self-control. (Muraven, Baumeister & Tice, 1999) Also, academic research shows that willpower can be strengthened through training. In connection with the level of will, athletes and soldiers of special forces have an average of 5 points more than the average of the society. It means that they have a stronger and higher will than others. (1) In ancient Iran, sports were used to strengthen the will, and Iranian people thought of sports as a tool for progress, fighting laziness, and a measure of individual credit. (4) Sports programs in prisons can help inmates feel empowered and more confident. This feeling may make prisoners less inclined to commit crimes and become positive and useful members of society in the future. (2) Also, the studies conducted on students emphasize the positive and effective impact of exercise on people's performance and will. (3) Our survey research shows that regular and preferably daily performance of a beneficial activity plays an important role in strengthening people's will. In particular, people who exercised regularly even briefly during the week or daily, based on their own statements, had higher self-control and willpower than people who exercised irregularly or did not exercise at all. People who had regular daily exercise had higher self-control and self-restraint skills against the obstacles, problems, challenges and tensions of life, unlike people who had removed exercise from their life plan due to weakness of will, stress, anxiety and mental disorder. Research results show that regular daily exercise, even short, has a positive effect on strengthening willpower in people.