[heracles]

I am so sick and tired of the muscle analogy (not criticizing you, but the general usage)! Almost always when I see it used, it is to describe a situation where we know almost _nothing_ about the fundamental phenomena! So any so-called similarity is 100 % speculative.

I'd consider "it is like a muscle" a red flag when reading news/science.

[AstralStorm]

It's doubly funny, because we actually have not enough of an idea how muscles do what they do... Even so far as immune system may be involved in their growth and strength adaptation.

[eru]

So it's an apt analogy after all.

[heracles]

I don't think so, no. Here is why: the basic behavior of muscles are decently well understood. For example why and how they contract and relax, and why they tire. We know of several reasons why muscles might malfunction. What is not well established is how and why muscles become stronger over time.

Compare this to for example ego depletion, and I would say that the analogy is not apt.

[eru]

Yes, true.

[lidHanteyk]

If one pumps iron, then one gets big and strong. What is the if-then for ego depletion? This entire fuzzy informal idea of common-sense causality is what is being wagered by these flimsy psychological concepts.

[feanaro]

If one exercises his willpower a lot†, then one has a progressively harder time doing so again shortly after‡. This is so because willpower is a finite, expendable resource which has to be renewed (through not exercising it).

† - for instance, by denying himself bad, tempting things

‡ - gives in to temptation

It's not flimsy at all, it just appears to be wrong.