Dispositional Self-control Research Articles

211 From Motion by Emotion to Well-Being: How Regular Physical Activity Enhances Life Satisfaction through Self–Control and Emotion Regulation

Abstract Purpose Physical activity is crucial for maintaining good health and preventing chronic diseases. Regular participation in sports-related activities contributes to psychophysiological and social well-being. Researchers are investigating the psychological factors that may be responsible for this mechanism. Current research is one of the first to explore the mediating effects of self-control and emotion regulation on the relationship between exercise and life satisfaction. The main objective of this study was to examine the possible intermediate impact of self–control and two common forms of emotion regulation: cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression on the relationship between involvement in regular physical activity and satisfaction with life. Methods A total of 186 adults participated in the online survey, providing information about their regular participation in physical activity or training and completing questionnaires assessing life satisfaction, self-control, and two aspects of emotion regulation. Based on self-reported average minutes spent exercising per week over the past year, participants were classified into four levels of physical activity according to the World Health Organization guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior. Results The results of the mediation analysis showed that dispositional self-control and cognitive reappraisal fully mediated the relationship between the levels of physical activity and life satisfaction. Expressive suppression, a second strategy of emotion regulation, did not mediate this relationship. This suggests that regular physical activity may increase levels of self-control and cognitive reappraisal, which in turn leads to greater life satisfaction. Conclusions Regular physical activity and time spent on training support such forms of regulating one’s own emotions and actions which consequently may lead to greater life satisfaction. These findings underscore the importance of regular exercise in promoting psychological well-being through its beneficial effects on self-control and emotional regulation.

How external monitoring can mitigate cyberloafing: understanding the mediating and moderating roles of employees’ self-control

ABSTRACT Organisations widely adopt external monitoring to regulate employees’ cyberloafing, which refers to employees’ non-work-related internet usage during work time. Although prior studies have examined the effect of external monitoring on cyberloafing, the underlying mechanisms through which external monitoring affects cyberloafing remain unclear. Drawing on counteractive control theory and the literature on the relationship between external controls and self-control, we investigate how employees’ self-control can play an important role in understanding the effect of external monitoring on cyberloafing. Based on a survey of 227 employees, we find that external monitoring promotes employees’ self-control motivation, which in turn, decreases their cyberloafing. We further find that the above relationships were contingent upon employees’ dispositional self-control capacity. Our study makes contributions by advancing researchers’ understanding of how external monitoring affects employees’ cyberloafing. Our study also extends the counteractive control theory by introducing the concept of self-control motivation, which is a complementary dimension of self-control capacity. In addition, the findings have important implications for alleviating the potential side effect of external monitoring used in organisations.

Cyber intimate partner aggression in adulthood: the role of insecure attachment and self-control

PurposeThis study aims to build on existing literature on face-to-face aggression in intimate relationships and adopts Finkel’s I3 theory to investigate the relationship between adult attachment style, dispositional self-control and cyber intimate partner aggression (IPA) perpetration and victimization.Design/methodology/approachParticipants (N = 173) 20–52 years of age (M = 32.75 years, SD = 7.73, mode = 29 years) completed a series of standardized online measures to assess anxious and avoidant attachment, dispositional self-control and experience of cyber IPA (psychological, sexual and stalking), as both a perpetrator and victim.FindingsAvoidant attachment was associated with increased perpetration of stalking and psychological abuse. Those high on avoidant attachment were also more likely to report that they were victims of cyber IPA psychological abuse and stalking. Self-control did not predict experience of cyber IPA, as a perpetrator or victim. Interactions between self-control and attachment were also non-significant.Originality/valueThis study addressed the paucity of cyber IPA research conducted with adult populations, by examining processes and factors to improve understanding of the experiences of online perpetration and victimization. The study also found evidence for the importance of impellance factors but not inhibiting factors (Finkel, 2008).

İki Farklı Öz-kontrol Ölçeğinin Türkçeye Uyarlanması

The trait of self-control is receiving growing attention as it leads to plenty of positive outcomes. Besides, there are so many scales based on different theoretical approaches in the literature. In this study, we aimed to adapt two important self-control scales, namely the Dispositional Self-Control Scale (DSC; Ein-Gar & Sagiv, 2014), and Desire for Self-Control Scale (DSCS; Uzie & Baumeister, 2017) into Turkish. In this context, we evaluated factorial validity, reliability coefficients (Cronbach α and McDonald's ω), discriminant, and convergent validity of these scales among college students sample. We also tested gender differences between men and women on self-control scores for two scales. Overall findings demonstrated that DSC, and DSCS had satisfactory psychometric properties for utilization such as acceptable fit indices, a high level of reliability coefficients, and good discriminant and convergent validity. We also discussed the implications of findings and future research.

Does dispositional self-control moderate the association between stress at work and physical activity after work? A real-life study with police officers

BackgroundPsychosocial stress is a major health threat in modern society. Short-term effects of stress on health behaviors have been identified as relevant processes. This article examines the moderating effect of dispositional self-control on the association between stress at work and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) after work.MethodsIn a sample of 153 police officers (103 men, 50 women, mean age = 39.3 ± 10.4 years), daily occupational stress and hours worked were assessed via ecological momentary assessment (smartphone-based single item) in real-life. Dispositional self-control was assessed via an online questionnaire, whereas physical activity was assessed via accelerometry. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was performed to test main and interaction effects.ResultsBivariate correlations showed that perceived stress at work was positively correlated with hours worked (r = 0.24, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.09, 0.39]), whereas a negative association was found with dispositional self-control (r = −0.27, p < 0.001, 95% CI [−0.41, −0.12]). After-work MVPA was neither associated with stress at work nor with dispositional self-control. The regression analysis yielded no significant interaction between stress at work and dispositional self-control on after-work MVPA.ConclusionUsing a state-of-the-art ecological momentary assessment approach to assess feelings of stress in real-life, stress at work did not seem to impact after-work MVPA in police officers. More research is needed to establish whether this finding is specific to police officers or whether it can be generalized to other populations.

Self-control as a mediator of age on students' compulsive buying.

Prior research on compulsive buying addresses a negative association with dispositional self-control and a decreasing effect of age. However, there is currently no sufficient explanation for the observation that older individuals show a reduced risk for compulsive buying patterns. Our empirical contribution is to test the assumption of a reducing effect of dispositional self-control on compulsive buying in a cross-cultural sample of Chinese (n=268) and German (n=247) college students with the Short Form of the Self-Control Scale and the Compulsive Buying Scale. We observed that females show a higher proneness to compulsive buying and older participants show decreased compulsive buying. Mediation analysis reveals that age has a reducing effect on compulsive buying that is fully mediated by dispositional self-control. According to the last observation, our study delivers an explanation of the reduced compulsive buying proneness of older individuals. We discuss limitations and alternative explanations of our study.

Too tempting to resist? Self-control moderates the relationship between narcissism and antisocial tendencies

Previous research highlights that narcissism predicts a wide range of antisocial tendencies. We propose that the expression of such tendencies is contingent on the level of dispositional self-control. Three independent studies (Ntotal = 1458) using three different narcissism measures and self-reported as well as behavioral indicators of antisocial tendencies tested this moderation hypothesis. In Study 1, antagonistic narcissism was positively related to self-reported revenge following an interpersonal transgression and this relationship was weakened among individuals high (vs. low) in self-control. Studies 2 and 3 conceptually replicated this finding using different narcissism measures, respectively, and trait (Study 2) as well as behaviorally assessed aggression (Study 3) as outcome variables. Results support the moderating role of self-control in the antagonistic narcissism-antisociality link.

Predictors of forgiveness among divorced parents.

Forgiveness is crucial for establishing coparenting relationships following divorce, yet little is known about the predictors of forgiveness after divorce. In 2 studies, we explore dispositional and divorce-specific factors that correlate with ex-partner forgiveness. In Study 1, we used data from a convenience sample of 136 divorced parents. In Study 2, we used a clinical sample of 165 parents involved in a complex (high-conflict) divorce, who were referred to treatment because of the threat their conflicts posed to their children's well-being. Across samples, forgiveness was negatively associated with conflict severity, narcissistic entitlement, hostile attributions, and traumatic impact of the divorce, and positively with trust and acceptance of the divorce. The main predictors of forgiveness in both samples were more acceptance of the divorce and less narcissistic entitlement. Forgiveness was unrelated to dispositional self-control and trait anger in either sample. We found no evidence of cross-partner effects in Study 2, except for women's hostile attributions on men's forgiveness. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Systematic Literature Review on Importance of Limited Resource Model in Health-oriented Behaviours

This article aims to review research on the relationship between self-control and health-oriented behaviours (healthy eating, physical exercise, smoking and alcohol abstinence) using the strength or limited resource model. The present work also aims to discuss alternative explanations for why initial acts of self-control impair subsequent adherence to health-oriented behaviours. The authors adopted the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines to conduct a systematic review. Database searches were performed to identify 25 articles, published in English from 2000 to 2020, that empirically tested the theory in the health domain. The available evidence supported the relationship between self-control and health-oriented behaviours, and the performance of health-oriented behaviours was found to reduce self-control resources. Mixed findings exist regarding the impact of a number of mediators and moderators in strengthening the relationship, and few studies have attempted to explain the mechanisms behind the controversial concept of ego depletion or the factors that can facilitate the performance of health behaviours under depletion conditions. Gaps in the reviewed studies were identified and the review highlighted the role of mediators and moderators. A decision-making framework is proposed (which can be tested in the future) to explain the role of dispositional self-control in health behaviours and how health behaviours can be facilitated, even in a state of low self-control.

Champions need an iron will: How employees use their dispositional self-control to overcome workplace incivility

AbstractThis paper investigates how employees' experience of workplace incivility may steer them away from idea championing, with a special focus on the mediating role of their desire to quit their jobs and the moderating role of their dispositional self-control. Data collected from employees who work in a large retail organization reveal that an important reason that exposure to rude workplace behaviors reduces employees' propensity to champion innovative ideas is that they make concrete plans to leave. This mediating effect is mitigated when employees are equipped with high levels of self-control though. For organizations, this study accordingly pinpoints desires to seek alternative employment as a critical factor by which irritations about resource-draining incivility may escalate into a reluctance to add to organizational effectiveness through dedicated championing efforts. It also indicates how this escalation can be avoided, namely, by ensuring employees have access to pertinent personal resources.

Do Disadvantageous Social Contexts Influence Food Choice? Evidence From Three Laboratory Experiments.

Increasing rates of obesity have fueled interest in the factors underlying food choice. While epidemiological studies report that disadvantaged social groups exhibit a higher incidence of obesity, causal evidence for an effect of social contexts on food choice remains scarce. To further our knowledge, we experimentally investigated the effect of disadvantageous social context on food choice in healthy, non-dieting participants. We used three established experimental methods to generate social contexts of different valence in controlled laboratory settings: (i) receiving varying amounts of money in a Dictator Game (DG; n = 40), (ii) being included or excluded in a Cyberball Game (CBG; n = 35), and (iii) performing well, average, or poorly in a response time ranking task (RTR; n = 81). Following exposure to a particular social context, participants made pairwise choices between food items that involved a conflict between perceived taste and health attributes. In line with previous research, stronger dispositional self-control (assessed via a questionnaire) was associated with healthier food choices. As expected, being treated unfairly in the DG, being excluded in the CBG, and performing poorly in the RTR led to negative emotions. However, we did not find an effect of the induced social context on food choice in any of the experiments, even when taking into account individual differences in participants’ responses to the social context. Our results suggest that—at least in controlled laboratory environments—the influence of disadvantageous social contexts on food choice is limited.

Want a Snack at Work? An Investigation of Mood Repair and Self-Control Perspectives

Based on the mood repair and self-control perspectives, we develop an integrative model that explored the antecedents, mechanisms, boundary conditions, and consequences of snacking at work. To test our integrative model, we employed the experience sampling method to collect daily data twice (i.e., the afternoon and evening surveys) for two weeks, resulting in 1,286 matched daily responses from 180 fulltime employees. The results of multilevel path analyses showed that: (a) daily activating negative moods increase unhealthy snacking at work via enhanced hedonic motive, and employees’ preference to eat palatable foods can strengthen such positive indirect effect; (b) although daily emotional job demands increase daily ego-depletion, the depleted states did not predict healthy snacking at work; (c) dispositional self-control capacity did not alter the strength of the self-control pathway to healthy snacking; (d) daily unhealthy snacking increases employees’ subsequent positive moods, whereas healthy snacking increases their subsequent vigor.

The role of off-task thoughts and behaviors in linking self-control with achievement-related and well-being outcomes

Self-control has been linked to a range of important outcomes. However, little research has examined how individuals high in self-control achieve these positive outcomes. This research investigated the day-to-day behaviors and experiences that may be responsible for these links, focusing on off-task thoughts/behaviors. Specifically, two studies examined mind wandering, distractions, interruptions, and procrastination as mechanisms linking self-control with task completion, GPA, job performance, and affect. Participants initially completed measures of dispositional self-control. They were then sent survey links twice a day for seven days to assess day-to-day behaviors/experiences. Results supported the role of off-task thoughts/behaviors in relationships between self-control and task completion, GPA, job performance, and affect. These findings shed new light on how self-control leads to valued outcomes.

Conservatives Are Happier than Liberals: the Mediating Role of Perceived Goal Progress and Flow Experience \u2014 a Pilot Study

Authors presume that conservatives would be happier than liberals because they would develop better mental adjustment especially under contextual threat. The present study aimed at examining whether self-regulatory factors (i.e., dispositional self-control, perception of goal progress, dispositional flow, and dispositional neurotic self-attentiveness) could mediate the link between conservatism and subjective well-being (SWB). It also aimed at testing the view that contextual threat (operationalized through undesired unemployment) may moderate the relationship between conservatism and the mediators under study. In order to examine this, 418 North-American participants from the United States (66.7% females and 33.3% males; Mage = 33.63, SDage = 11.64) answered questionnaires via an online platform, and structural equation model or path analyses were conducted. Main results revealed that: (a) conservatism positively predicted SWB, whereas undesired unemployment negatively predicted SWB; (b) perception of goal progress and dispositional flow fully mediated the conservative-SWB gap; and (c) dispositional self-control was highest in conservatives under contextual threat of undesired unemployment. Finally, this study suggests that conservatives can experience higher SWB because of adaptive cognitive adjustments. Moreover, this study suggests that the rationalization of inequality can have a self-enhancement function that bolsters self-regulation process when exposed to threatening contexts.

The Role of Self-Control and the Presence of Enactment Models on Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption: A Pilot Study.

The objective of the present research was to investigate associations of dispositional and momentary self-control and the presence of other individuals consuming SSBs with the consumption frequency of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in a multi-country pilot study. We conducted an Ambulatory Assessment in which 75 university students (52 females) from four study sites carried smartphones and received prompts six times a day in their everyday environments to capture information regarding momentary self-control and the presence of other individuals consuming SSBs. Multilevel models revealed a statistically significant negative association between dispositional self-control and SSB consumption. Moreover, having more self-control than usual was only beneficial in regard to lower SSB consumption frequency, when other individuals consuming SSBs were not present but not when they were present. The findings support the hypothesis that self-control is an important factor regarding SSB consumption. This early evidence highlights self-control as a candidate to design interventions to promote healthier drinking through improved self-control.

Active exercisers with a higher orientation toward task-approach goal might experience higher happiness: the mediating role of dispositional self-control

Active exercisers engage in physical activity or training sessions with intentions that are inherently influenced by stable orientations toward achievement goals (i.e. self-regulatory representations about specific outcomes that influence one’s behaviour). Using the 3 × 2 achievement goals framework in the leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) setting, the purpose of this study was to examine the development of happiness (i.e. short-term and temporary contentment) in active exercisers by testing a model in which dispositional self-control (i.e. stable capability of the self to initiate goal-directed behaviours and inhibit goal-disruptive behaviours) played the role of mediator between goal orientations and happiness. Five hundred nine active exercisers (329 females and 180 males, M age = 32.42, SD age = 10.85, from 18 to 65 years old) answered questionnaires on LTPA amount, orientations toward achievement goals for LTPA, dispositional self-control, and happiness. We conducted correlation and structural equation model analyses. Results revealed that: (a) orientation toward task-approach goal (i.e. stable tendency to desire to perform well) positively predicted dispositional self-control and happiness; (b) orientation toward self-avoidance goal (i.e. stable tendency to desire to avoid performing worse than before) negatively predicted dispositional self-control and happiness; and (c) dispositional self-control partially mediated the positive effect of orientation toward task-approach goal on happiness. This study suggests that task-approach goal (or self-avoidance goal) can spark adaptive (or maladaptive) effects in terms of self-regulation and happiness. Theoretical and practical implications for the study of the relationships between achievement goals, self-regulation, and happiness are discussed.

Physical activity in Indonesian University students: the contradictory roles of dispositional mindfulness and self-control

ABSTRACTPhysical inactivity is now identified as one of the major risk factors for global mortality, including in Indonesia. Past research in Western settings have demonstrated the efficacy of self-determined or autonomous forms of motivation in predicting health-related behaviours, and that association between these variables could possibly be moderated by individual differences in mindfulness. In terms of mindfulness, individuals from different cultures may vary in their familiarity and acceptance of mindfulness in daily life. Moreover, the ways though which individuals exhibit qualities of mindfulness are often intertwined with their capacity for self-control. In this correlational study utilizing cloud-based online survey, samples of Indonesian undergraduates (N = 411, mean age = 20.202, SD = 1.406) completed self-report measures of trait mindfulness, trait self-control, autonomous motivation, and physical activity. Bootstrap multiple regression analysis indicated that association between autonomous motivation and physical activity is strengthened by trait self-control (p = .017), but conversely, weakened by trait mindfulness (p = .024). Cultural perspective may help explain the dynamics of mindfulness, self-control, autonomous motivation, and physical activity.

Ego Depletion Does Not Interfere With Working Memory Performance.

Ego depletion happens if exerting self-control reduces a person’s capacity to subsequently control themselves. Previous research has suggested that ego depletion not only interferes with subsequent self-control but also with working memory. However, recent meta-analytical evidence casts doubt onto this. The present study tackles the question if ego depletion does interfere with working memory performance. We induced ego depletion in two ways: using an e-crossing task and using a Stroop task. We then measured working memory performance using the letter-number sequencing task. There was no evidence of ego depletion interfering with working memory performance. Several aspects of our study render this null finding highly robust. We had a large and heterogeneous sample of N = 1,385, which provided sufficient power. We deployed established depletion tasks from two task families (e-crossing task and Stroop), thus making it less likely that the null finding is due to a specific depletion paradigm. We derived several performance scores from the working memory task and ran different analyses to maximize the chances of finding an effect. Lastly, we controlled for two potential moderators, the implicit theories about willpower and dispositional self-control capacity, to ensure that a possible effect on working memory is not obscured by an interaction effect. In sum, this experiment strengthens the position that ego depletion works but does not affect working memory performance.

School burnout and intimate partner violence: The role of self-control

The deleterious effects of school burnout (academic-related stress) on academic, physiological, and cognitive outcomes have been previously established. However, school burnout's relationship to emotional and relationship outcomes as well as underlying factors contributing to their potential relationship are less understood. Therefore, three studies were conducted to fill this gap by examining the relationship between school burnout, self-control, emotional dysregulation, and intimate partner violence. In emerging adult samples, results demonstrate that school burnout is positively associated with emotional dysregulation, independent of anxiety and depression (Study 1), and that self-control moderates this relationship (Study 2) as well as the relationship between school burnout and intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization (Study 3). Specifically, the relationship between school burnout and emotional dysregulation (Study 2), as well as with both victimization and perpetration (Study 3), are stronger under lower levels of dispositional self-control. Findings from these studies identify school burnout as an important phenomenon of inquiry in relation to psychosocial outcomes among emerging adults. More importantly, findings suggest that self-control may serve as a potential point of intervention for ameliorating school burnout's damaging effects. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Don’t Sweat the Big Stuff: Emphasizing Importance Hinders Goal Pursuit for Consumers Low in Dispositional Self-Control Resources

Our research examines goal striving and the effect of importance on self-control outcomes. Extant research has shown that consumers allocate greater self-control resources when faced with more important goals, but we predict and show that emphasizing goal importance leads to worse self-control decisions for individuals lower in dispositional self-control. Specifically, for these consumers, increasing the perceived importance of managing personal finances or maintaining good health leads to a higher likelihood of making a goal-incongruent decision. Additionally, we advance self-control theory by keying in on the role of goal difficulty to explain our proposed backfire effect. Ironically then, our theory and results show that those consumers who naturally have limited self-control resources are worse off when reminded that their self-control goals are, in fact, important.