Master Self Control & Overcome Procrastination | Dr. Kentaro Fujita

Andrew Huberman

May 11, 2026

Episode description

Dr. Kentaro Fujita, PhD, is a professor of psychology at The Ohio State University and an expert in the science of self-control and motivation. We discuss the best tools for developing strong self-control: to do more of what you aspire to and cease doing things you would like to avoid. We discuss why you need more than one form of willpower to achieve sustained motivation and overcome procrastination. Dr. Fujita also clarifies the data on the 2-marshmallow test, delayed gratification and intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation.

Show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/a9vfEJ5

Thank you to our sponsors
AG1: ⁠https://drinkag1.com/huberman⁠
David: ⁠https://davidprotein.com/huberman⁠
Lingo: ⁠https://hellolingo.com/huberman⁠
LMNT: ⁠https://drinklmnt.com/huberman⁠
Function: ⁠https://functionhealth.com/huberman

Huberman Lab
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab
X: https://x.com/hubermanlab
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman
Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com
Newsletter: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter

Dr. Kentaro Fujita
Website: https://u.osu.edu/fujita
Academic profile: https://psychology.osu.edu/people/fujita.5
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3KkWMHMAAAAJ&hl=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentaro-fujita-842a13385

Timestamps
00:00:00 Kentaro Fujita
00:03:08 Marshmallow Tests, Self-Control; Adult Modeling
00:08:24 Criticism of Marshmallow Tests, Learning Self-Control
00:15:08 Sponsors: David & Lingo
00:17:34 Movement & Motivation
00:21:42 Doing Hard Things; Exhaustion & Depletion Effect
00:29:02 Willpower vs Self-Control, Improving Self-Control
00:34:27 Aspiration or Fear for Motivation, Long- vs Short-Term Outcomes
00:40:55 Self-Control Toolkit, Tool: Failure & Exploration
00:46:44 Sponsor: AG1
00:48:28 Motivation Warm-Up?, Tools: Mindset; Motivation Orientation
00:57:30 Imperfect Conditions, Self-Control Conflicts, Tool: Why vs How
01:05:25 Tool: "Whys" & Motivation Goals
01:11:26 Competition, Tool: Motivation Types
01:17:13 Sponsor: LMNT
01:18:33 Abstinence vs Moderation, Consistency vs Rigidity
01:27:48 Burnout; "Invisible" Goals, Single Goal & Trade-Offs
01:35:17 Intrinsic Motivation for Sustained Goals
01:40:16 Sponsor: Function
01:41:53 Meaning in Simple Tasks, Ikigai
01:49:03 Self-Control Failure, Tools: Distancing, 3rd Person & Heros
01:55:04 Words as Motivation, Visualization, Social Validation
02:03:51 Music, Anchors, Nostalgia
02:06:46 Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation, Job & Salary
02:14:11 Mindfulness & Taking Breaks, Wabi-Sabi & Imperfection, Ikigai
02:20:56 Future Directions
02:25:19 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

#hubermanlab

Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Utilize psychological strategies to enhance self-control

Training willpower as an effortful mental muscle shows very limited success, whereas learning and applying a "toolkit" of specific psychological strategies is much more effective for improving self-control.

#mental-health

#regulation

Discover purpose in mundane tasks for enhanced well-being

The Japanese concept of 'ikigai' suggests that finding purpose and meaning in mundane, repetitive tasks is a powerful source of well-being and motivation.

#motivation

#purpose

Motivate with higher-order purposes to overcome temptation

Thinking about the higher-order purposes behind your goals, such as for your family, significantly increases your odds of overcoming temptation.

#goals

#motivation

Build your self-control toolbox with diverse strategies

Effective self-control comes from building a personal "toolbox" of different strategies, as no single tool works for everyone, and failure is just an opportunity to learn which tool to use next.

#regulation

#resilience

Choose moderation over abstinence for sustainable goal achievement

An abstinence (all-or-nothing) approach to goals is simple but rigid and prone to catastrophic failure, while moderation is more flexible but psychologically complex, and we often choose the wrong approach for our goals.

#consistency

#goals

Reassess beliefs about willpower to prevent exhaustion

The popular theory that self-control is a limited resource that gets depleted has failed to replicate consistently, and your belief about willpower is a key factor in whether you experience exhaustion.

#mental-health

#mind

Combat temptation by harnessing strong emotions

Instead of trying to suppress emotions to resist temptation, it can be more effective to fight a "hot" impulse with another strong emotion, such as disgust or love.

#emotion

#regulation

Learn self-control as a skill through effective strategies

The most important lesson from the famous marshmallow test is that self-control is not an innate talent but a skill that can be taught and learned through specific strategies.