Control over What? Individual Differences in General versus Eating and Spending Self-Control

Abstract

Public policy research is often directed at inducing welfare-enhancing behavioral change using interventions that provide consumers with helpful information and tools. The authors suggest that the effectiveness of such public policy interventions for relevant outcomes depend on individual differences in consumer self-control. The present research examines how healthy eating and responsible spending outcomes are influenced by low (vs. high) self-control at general and domain-specific levels. Important questions pertain to the theoretical basis of self-control individual differences and the relative efficacy of general and domain-specific measures in predicting eating and spending outcomes. The authors propose a new measurement approach to increase measurement standardization and the comparability of results in self-control studies and empirically demonstrate its value. Recommendations for public policy researchers and practitioners reflect the role of general and domain-specific individual differences in self-control and their implications for designing and testing effective interventions to improve consumer health and financial well-being.