As you know, the old elf Shrub and I have been reading extensively about willpower.  It is such a crucial resource for both humans and elves!  And, recently, we read that quite a lot of willpower is used up when humans work to avoid temptations.  Snrub and I wanted to know if this is true for elves, too!

The humans did a hilarious experiment involving cookies, radishes and puzzles.  How do they ever think of such things!

We followed the experiment to the letter, except this time we conducted our test on elves, not humans.

One elf at a time, we put elves into a small workshop room with a table.  On the table was a plate of gorgeous cookies and, next to it, a bowl of radishes.

Some elves were told that they could eat a cookie, but some elves, like young Charlie, were told that they could eat only one radish.  Oh, the cookies smelled so delicious… but Charlie was told not to eat a single one.

Then, Snrub and I took the cookies and radishes away, and we replaced them with a difficult puzzle.  What we found was extraordinary!  Just as in the human experiment, the elves who had controlled their desire to eat cookies gave up on the puzzle much sooner!  Their willpower was very drained, and it was harder for them to persevere when doing the puzzle!

Snrub and I then thought of a way in which young humans could perhaps use this information to their advantage.

If you are finding it hard to finish your homework, take a moment to pause and “put away the cookies.”  Of course, by this we mean put away anything that tempts you and uses up your willpower to avoid!

When you do this, you may find that your willpower carries you through your homework assignments with much greater ease!