Self-control mediates age-related differences in psychological distress

Abstract

The ability to over-ride or alter motivated responses, known as self-control, is crucial for goal-directed behaviour and is a determinant of many consequential outcomes including physical health, psychological well-being, and mental health. Three cross-sectional correlational studies examined the extent to which individual differences in self-control (i.e., trait self-control) account for age-related differences in psychological distress. In Study 1 participants (N = 622), predominantly from the United States, completed measures of self-control and psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) via Amazon's Mechanical Turk. In Study 2, United Kingdom participants (N = 300) completed the same measures as Study 1 via Prolific Academic. In Study 3 a transnational sample of participants (N = 1484) from the Human Penguin Project completed the same measure of self-control as Studies 1–2 along with a new measure of psychological distress (i.e., perceived stress). Across all 3 studies, utilizing varied measures of distress, older (relative to younger) participants reported reduced depression, anxiety, and stress (Studies 1–2) as well as reduced perceived stress (Study 3). These age-related differences in psychological distress were mediated by self-control. Taken together with past research, the current studies suggest that trait self-control may be a key mechanism driving healthy aging.