Distinguishing Impulse Strength from Self-control Strength as Causes of Self-control Failure

Texas A&M Research Foundation, College Station TX

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Self-control is an important key to success in life insofar as individuals who succeed at self-control enjoy more satisfying interpersonal relationships, better physical health, and greater subjective well-being than do people who fail at self-control. Understanding the underpinnings of self-control is therefore crucial for understanding success in life. The purpose of this proposal is to integrate theory and research regarding impulse strength and self-control strength -- two major causes of self-control outcomes that have been conflated or studied in isolation in previous research. The researchers propose that impulse strength (i.e., the motivational force of an impulse) and self-control strength (i.e., the person's capacity to control impulses) are distinct but dynamically-interacting causes of self-control failure. The central hypothesis is that exercising self-control may paradoxically lead to a temporary increase in impulse strength, which in turn may increase the likelihood of self-control failure. In addition to short-term changes in impulse strength, the proposed research will also examine enduring individual differences in impulse strength and self-control strength to differentiate their contributions to failures of self-control. The proposed research features several different manipulations and measures of impulse strength and self-control strength, respectively, including perceptual acuity, attentional breadth, startle responses, impulse control, pain tolerance, participants' self-reports, and brain activity. The use of multiple measures also increases the validity and generality of the research spanning multiple levels of analysis. The intellectual significance of the research and its broader impact both derive from the implications for understanding the causes of self-control failure. For example, ascertaining whether failures of self-control stem mainly from overly strong impulses or weak self-control strength will suggest the most promising routes by which to minimize self-control failure. Self-control failure plays a central role in several undesirable behaviors, from unhealthy eating and profligate spending to violent behavior and drug abuse.