It is a proven fact that some individuals tend to be bigger risk takers than others. Some people do not seem to have the ability to predict consequences, and even when they do, it's challenging to foresee the severity or intensity of negative implications. So how much of our ability to practice self-discipline and control is determined by our biological anatomy? Is self-discipline just as easy of a choice for some, as it is for all? Is lacking in self-control a physical inability, or more of a personal deficit that we can actively manage? Research scientists have been asking similar questions on a myriad of personality traits. If we've accepted the various connotations concerning the deviation of right verses left brain when it comes to traits like artistic or mechanically inclined, is there are particular region in the brain that controls the ability to practice self-discipline? Some research has suggested that will power and self-disciplined focus during a challenging task may be directly correlated to carbohydrate digestion and blood glucose levels.
More complex studies that actually utilize the assistance of an MRI machine have isolated the ventral medial prefrontal cortex when patients were faced with a tempting decision. This same region of the brain is involved in the mental processes that study participants used when making a risky financial decision during a simulation similar to video gambling. Conclusive evidence further supports that patients with a medical diagnosis of a behavioral disorder, such as attention deficit disorder or hyperactivity, may actually lack some of the imperative neuronal connections that are vital for predicting outcomes and understanding consequential results.
These doctors have discovered an anatomical connection to these decision making processes. Is it possible for all of us to have a variable level of connectivity making it more or less feasible to practice self-discipline?
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex may be the primary region that executes responsible decision making.
So what does that mean? It's really hard to say. Not enough scientific research has been conducted to pinpoint a particular pathway that is responsible for the blanket term of self-discipline. Even if medical researchers are able to locate an anatomical deficit that explains how and why some people have a harder time executing self-discipline, it doesn't negate the physical ability for our brains to grow, develop, and acquire new abilities. If we can perform physical therapy to regain the ability to walk, what is preventing our brains from gaining or further perfecting our ability to efficiently practice self-discipline?