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You have probably done this before: you plan to be disciplined by setting an alarm to wake up early and crush your daily goals. But as soon as your alarm rings, you hit the snooze button, telling yourself, “I’ll just rest for five more minutes and then start working,” and end up waking an hour later to realize your day has already started late. You promise to wake up early the next day, but the cycle repeats, and before you know it, you can’t keep up with your own plans. It turns out there is a part of your brain, called the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC), that is affected every time you hit that snooze button.
aMCC: The Brain Structure Behind Success
The aMCC is a part of the brain that has strong connections with the temporal, frontoparietal, and motor regions, and subcortical structures. It has been identified as a major structural hub to maximize communication between different areas of the brain. The aMCC is considered to be more structurally connected with the rest of the brain and metabolically more active compared to other brain regions. Its position allows it to integrate information from these brain networks and plays a key role in goal-directed behavior and decision-making.
The Power of the aMCC
The aMCC region is involved in a variety of tasks, including memory, emotion, and the integration of pain and negative effects in guiding behavior. All of these functions are performed for efficient energy regulation. The aMCC allows one to carefully evaluate the expected physiological demands of the body and then effectively use the body’s resources to achieve the goal.[1]
Hitting Snooze is More Harmful Than You Think
Dr. Z, MD, a neurosurgeon, explained in his Instagram post how repeatedly hitting the snooze button can negatively impact the aMCC and weaken the ability to stay disciplined in achieving your goals.
He stated that the aMCC region is more active in individuals who are highly disciplined, while those who keep hitting the snooze button every day have a less active aMCC. Successful athletes tend to have a more functional aMCC than those who are less disciplined.
He further explained that the aMCC region determines how much effort should be put into a certain task, based on whether the brain thinks that it’s worth enough of a lot of effort and will motivate you to put forth that effort. In case you don’t feel like doing something, doing that task anyway will reinforce the aMCC to restructure itself.
Future Perspective
According to the study published in the journal Cortex, there is an intriguing possibility that the aMCC could be altered with sufficient behavioral training. It may be able to reshape its connectivity in response to learning. [1]
Conclusion
It is okay to get a few minutes of extra sleep by hitting the snooze button. But doing it frequently can negatively affect the brain structure responsible for your ability to stay disciplined and resilient in achieving your goals.
References
1. Touroutoglou, Alexandra, Joseph Andreano, Bradford C. Dickerson, and Lisa Feldman Barrett. "The tenacious brain: How the anterior mid-cingulate contributes to achieving goals." Cortex 123 (2020): 12-29. Accessed on 01 March 2025.
MSM
