Want More Self-Control? The Secret Isn’t Willpower.

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To improve willpower, it boils down to “just try harder,” said Kentaro Fujita, a professor of psychology at Ohio State University who studies self-regulation and decision making. But self-control involves a set of skills that can be learned, he added.

Preparation, mind-set and the ability to either avoid or reframe temptation can be far more effective than trying to “force that desire down,” Dr. Fujita said.

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Developing your self-control starts with self-empowerment, said Ethan Kross, the director of the Emotion and Self-Control Lab at the University of Michigan and author of “Shift: Managing Your Emotions So They Don’t Manage You.”

Research shows that believing you are capable of self-control can help you succeed, he said. After all, “if you don’t think you can control yourself then why would you make any efforts to do so?” Dr. Kross asked.

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