Alternative views on how self-control shapes health behavior

Abstract

Aims: The symposium aims to bring together recent research that addresses how self-control affects health behavior and health outcomes. Drawing on different theoretical approaches and investigating different health issues, the presentations offer novel insights into the working mechanisms of self-control. The symposium is expected to further stimulate the lively scholarly debate about this topical issue, with a specific focus on advancing a health psychology perspective. Rationale: A large body of research confirms that self-control is an important predictor of people’s health and wellbeing. While there is much evidence of the beneficial impacts of self-control on health behavior, the underlying mechanisms are less well understood and researched. Recently more research is being undertaken testing established and novel theorizing. Importantly, while effortful control over one’s behavior has long been regarded as the key to achieving self-regulatory success, emerging insights suggest that successful self-control can also be achieved through effortless strategies that make it easier to deal with temptations. Bringing together different pieces of the intriguing ‘self-control puzzle’ will contribute importantly to our understanding of health behavior change. Summary: The symposium encompasses four presentations, followed by an expert-led discussion, each scrutinizing and/or challenging traditional views on how self-control influences behavior. Specifically, the symposium included presentations of studies showing that a) the relation between self-control and health behavior performance is mediated by high self-control individuals’ lower aversion toward these behaviors. Relatedly, intriguing work employing advanced mouse-tracking technology shows that b) people with high self-control experience less conflict when confronted with temptations. In addition to these insights into high self-control, research is presented that c) demonstrates how states of low self-control can be used to facilitate health behavior. A study of the prospective impact of self-control finds that, contrary to conventional theorizing, d) self-control reflects rather than shapes motivation and volition.