Tie your hands to free yourself

You're sitting in an electric chair in a lab, and you have to endure the shock for 30 minutes. But luckily you have a button in front of you; you just have to press the button to stop the shock. But if you pressed the button, you need to endure 30 minutes of electric shock every day. If you can hold back in 30 minutes without pressing the button the first time, then you are free, no longer need to be electrocuted.

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Every rational person knows that must endure not to press the button for the first 30 minutes. I asked my cousin who is just in primary school, will also choose not to push the button. Unfortunately, people are not always rational, especially when facing temptation or suffering.

Human often uses willpower to express the ability to insist on rational choice, but willpower is a scarce resource that is easily consumed, and no one can always face all challenges and difficult decisions with strong willpower. Anyway, I'm not sure that I can hold on for 30 minutes on the electric chair. There is a saying: Do not test the human nature because the human nature is unable to withstand the test.

If you're sitting in the electric chair and someone comes over and tie your hands so that you can't press the button in 30 minutes, you don't have to fight the human nature with your willpower. After 30 minutes, you may return to your senses and thank those who have tied your hands.

Thus, tying your hands allows you to temporarily lose the right to choose, but obtain a more rational choice.

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In fact, many people stay away from the source of temptation as a strategy, although not fully tied the hands, it also helps.

For example, a cotton candy experiment for 4-year-old children:
Give a group of children a piece of candy each, if 10 minutes later the child has not eaten the candy, then reward the child another one.

Of course, most children can't wait for the second piece and eat the candy early. One of the details was that some kids who had been stuck for 10 minutes chose to turn around and play other things without looking at the candy. This is the strategy to stay away from temptation.

Almost all stock analysts agree with the idea of making precise rules on stock trading operations and strictly adhering to their own rules when working on them. Such a practice is to allow rational guidance to operate as far as possible, and avoid emotional impact on the scene caused by stock fluctuations.

Of course, in these two examples, it is hard to accomplish. I think the reason is that the hands are not really tied.

In game theory there is a "chicken game," which is simply:
Two bikers were riding their bikes head-on, and no one can give way first. But if two of people do not make way, they will inevitably collide and die. The first man to give way is despised as a “chicken”.

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The scene is often seen in some Hollywood blockbusters, and the game has the best coping strategies:

1. Tear down the steering wheel on your car. (equivalent to tying your hands)
2. Let the other party know the 1st.

If you adopt this strategy, presumably the other side can only give way, because he knows who is the coward here. There is a certain probability will open the door, has become a completely insurmountable wall. It's really silly to hit the wall.

Thus, we can see that tying our own hands can really make us freer, no wonder people say self-discipline = freedom.

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Based on this, a lot of times, we want to develop a good habit or to get rid of a bad habit. We can intelligently use some external forces so that we have to follow our rational design to act on the best plan.

For example, you want to quit smoking. You can announce this decision to your friends and let everyone supervise. When others find you smoking once, you will be fined $10. If you are rich, just add a few extra zeros to the fine.

Also, develop some daily habits. Do you think that brushing your teeth every day is something you need the willpower to stick to? It is because you have developed a daily habit.

We talked about the meaning of tying our hands, two ways to tie our hands, and finally, you need to practice.

Find a way to tie your hands so that you can be free.

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