Easier done than said: people with high self-control feel less aversive to health behaviors

Abstract

Background: Individuals with high self-control are healthier, happier, and generally more successful in life. It is typically implied that these people perform better (e.g., eating fruits instead of chocolate, studying instead of partying) because of their ability to inhibit hedonic impulses. Offering an alternative view, we propose that people with high self-control may perform better on goal-directed behaviors simply because they feel less aversive toward these behaviors than people with low self-control. Methods: Trait self-control, aversion toward healthy eating and study behavior, and performance of these behaviors were assessed in a cross-sectional study (N = 116). Mediation analyses were performed using bootstrapping. Findings: Self-control was positively related to healthy eating and studying. Both relationships were mediated by respondents’ aversion toward the respective behaviors: individuals with high self-control reported less aversion, which was in turn related to better performance. Discussion: Findings contribute to emerging novel perspectives on self-control, suggesting that self-control success may not merely be explained by effortful inhibition of impulses, but rather be supported by effortless self-regulation processes that make it easier to behave in line with long-term goals.