The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It

BECOME A DOPAMINE DETECTIVE
Once I introduce these neuromarketing and sales tricks to my students, it ignites a hunt for evidence.
They start to see how many of their willpower failures are hastened by dopamine triggers in their
everyday environments. Students return the next week with stories of how their favorite stores are
manipulating them, from the scented candles burning in the cookware store to the scratch-and-win
discount cards handed out to shoppers at the mall. They recognize why a clothing store company has
pictures of naked models on its walls, and why auctioneers open the bidding at bargain prices. Once
you start looking, it’s impossible not to see the many traps that have been laid to ensnare you, your
dopamine neurons, and your money.
Almost universally, students report feeling empowered by these observations. They have fun
spotting the tricks. It also helps make sense of some shopping mysteries, like why something that
seemed irresistible in the store seems so disappointing at home, far away from the dopamine that
clouded your judgment. One woman finally understood why she always heads to the gourmet grocery
store when she’s bored—not for food, but just to wander around looking at things. Her brain is
directing her to a reliable trigger of a dopamine rush. Another student canceled her catalog
subscriptions when she recognized that she was essentially getting a dopamine delivery in the mail,
each colorful page creating desires that could only be filled by that company’s products. A student at
a professional conference in Las Vegas was able to hold on to more of his money because he saw
through the casino’s strategies to overstimulate his dopamine neurons: nearly naked showgirls, all-
you-can-eat buffets, lights and buzzers signaling every win in the house.
Although we live in a world engineered to make us want, we can—just by paying attention—start
to see through some of it. Knowing what’s going on won’t eliminate all your wants, but it will give
you at least a fighting chance to exercise your “I won’t” power.