Aftereffects of self-control: The reward responsivity hypothesis

Abstract

Exercising self-control can be phenomenologically aversive. Insofar as individuals strive to maintain a positive emotional state, one consequence of exercising self-control may thus be a temporarily tuning toward or amplification of reward-related impulses (perhaps arising to countermand the aversive feelings that stem from self-control). Reward-relevant aftereffects are relatively underappreciated in self-control research. In the current paper, we review theory and research pertaining to the idea that exercising self-control increases reward responsivity. First, we review theoretical models of self-control focusing on the relationship between control systems and reward systems. Second, we review behavioral studies regarding the effects of exercising self-control on subsequent reactivity to food, money, drugs, and positive emotional images. Third, we review findings from functional neuroimaging and electroencephalographic research pertaining to the reward responsivity hypothesis. We then call for additional research to integrate how, when, and under what circumstances self-control exertion influences reward processing. Such an endeavor will help to advance research and theory on self-control by offering a more precise characterization of the dynamic interactions between control systems and reward systems.

Stimulating Self-Regulation: A Review of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Studies of Goal-Directed Behavior

“…But impulse strength also contributes to self-regulatory outcomes. Presumably, weaker impulses are easier to control or hardly require control at all (e.g., Inzlicht and Schmeichel, 2012; Kelley et al, 2018). Successful self-regulation has been associated both with increased activity in areas associated with top-down control, including the prefrontal cortex, and reduced activity in subcortical regions involved in reward and threat processing.…”