How Powerful Is Willpower?

By Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer

In 1982, Angela Cavallo, a Georgia mother, lifted a Chevy Impala off of her trapped son. He had been doing repairs to its underbelly when the car jack broke. An average-sized woman, she held the 3,000 pound vehicle up for five minutes while the neighbors pulled his wounded body out from under it.

We've all heard stories like this, but what's the science behind them? Can shear strength of will — "I must lift this heavy object to save my child," for instance — really give you the muscle to lift cars in an emergency? Just how powerful is willpower?

Alas, scientists can't put a discrete number to it, beyond noting that, in some cases, it's clearly enough to amplify one's muscles to the point that a person who might normally max out lifting several dozen pounds can suddenly lift several hundreds.

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