“Are you in full possession of your capacity?”. A mechanistic self-control approach at trait and state levels to predict different health behaviors

Abstract

This study investigated the role of self-control in health behaviors at both trait and state levels. We examined if trait and state self-control independently predict health behaviors, as well as the mechanisms of these relationships (desire, conflict, and resistance). This question was investigated on unhealthy and healthy behaviors, in the domain of physical activity, diet, and smoking. 325 participants completed a questionnaire assessing trait and state self-control, as well as desire, conflict, resistance, and health behaviors. Path analyses revealed that trait self-control indirectly predicted unhealthy behaviors through reduced desire, conflict, and resistance, and directly predicted healthy behaviors. These relationships remained significant when controlling for state self-control, suggesting that people's general tendency to prioritize distal goals over proximal motives uniquely predicts behaviors. Results also showed that adding state self-control to the model doubled the explained variance in healthy behaviors, highlighting the importance of considering self-control capacity at both trait and state levels.