Getting trapped in a dead end? Trait self-control and boredom are linked to goal adjustment

Abstract

Disengaging from unattainable goals and reengaging in alternative goals is essential for effective goal pursuit; yet, surprisingly little is known about associated personality factors. Here, we focused on individual differences in self-control (domain-general self-control, if–then planning) and boredom (boredom proneness, boredom avoidance and escape tendencies). Concerning goal adjustment in everyday life (Study 1; N = 323 crowdworkers), if–then planning was associated with worse disengagement and better reengagement. While boredom proneness was associated with poorer reengagement, boredom avoidance and escape tendencies were associated with better reengagement. When goal striving was thwarted during the COVID-19 pandemic (Study 2; N = 97 students), similar associations emerged along with links to anxiety and depression. However, disengagement was no longer associated with if–then planning but instead with better self-control and higher boredom proneness. These results show differential relationships of goal disengagement and reengagement with self-control and boredom, paving the way to a better understanding of who struggles or shines when effective goal adjustment is required.

Same Same but Different – What is Boredom Actually?

“…Consistent with this, people who are frequently bored (i.e., score high in boredom proneness) scored lower on a measure of trait disengagement. 70 Supporting the notion that, rather than being a pure measure of trait boredom, boredom proneness might reflect the dispositional self-regulatory failure to adaptively respond to boredom. 70 Boredom-induced mental and motor motion in the service of undirected exploration is often expressed in terms of attentional failures 49 or restless movements v .…”

“…70 Supporting the notion that, rather than being a pure measure of trait boredom, boredom proneness might reflect the dispositional self-regulatory failure to adaptively respond to boredom. 70 Boredom-induced mental and motor motion in the service of undirected exploration is often expressed in terms of attentional failures 49 or restless movements v . Such motion can be triggered by external events (e.g., gaze away from the target stimulus vi 71 ), appear to be rather aimless (e.g., restless motion on a chair 66 ), and/or reflect habitual behavioral responses (e.g., the author who habitually accesses Social Media when bored of writing).…”

Commentary: Engage or disengage? Interpretations from a resource conservation perspective

“…The contribution by Bieleke et al (2022) studied individual differences in the use of implementation intentions and boredom in disengaging and reengaging. Tendencies to escape boredom were positively related to reengaging in frozen goals in their first study.…”

You have to let go sometimes: advances in understanding goal disengagement

“…These findings point to the importance of further, potentially moderating factors on the effect of self-control on goal disengagement. Bieleke et al, (2022) also studied if-then planning (i.e., implementation intentions; Gollwitzer 1999) as a more concrete self-control strategy. Under everyday life circumstances, if-then planning was associated with lower goal disengagement, whereas there was no significant relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…While goal disengagement was predictive of lower negative affect and higher quality of life, reengagement was predictive of lower negative and higher positive affect as well as higher quality of life and generally showed stronger associations. Bieleke et al, (2022) examined predictors of goal reengagement. They found that if-then planning was linked to better reengagement.…”