The regulatory easy street: Self-regulation below the self-control threshold does not consume regulatory resources

Abstract

We present and test a theory in which self-control is distinguished from broader acts of self-regulation when it is both effortful and conscious. In two studies, we examined whether acts of behavioral management that do not require effort are exempt from resource depletion. In Study 1, we found that a self-regulation task only reduced subsequent self-control for participants who had previously indicated that completing the task would require effort. In Study 2, we found that participants who completed a self-regulation task for two minutes did not evidence the subsequent impairment in self-control evident for participants who had completed the task for four or more minutes. Our results support the notion that self-regulation without effort falls below the self-control threshold and has different downstream consequences than self-control.

Regulatory mode and willingness to increase retirement savings contributions

“…Self‐regulation and self‐control—as in “control regulation”—can be used interchangeably, but they can also be understood as distinct constructs (vanDellen et al, ). From the perspective of regulatory mode theory, self‐regulation in locomotion and assessment modes is distinct from self‐control.…”

“…In recent years, personality traits and self‐control, which is a specific type of self‐regulation (vanDellen, Hoyle, & Miller, ), have received attention for explaining individual differences in retirement savings and for developing incentive schemes and educational programs to encourage individuals to save more for retirement (Beshears et al, ; Burke, Luoto, & Perez‐Arce, ; Choi, Laibson, Madrian, & Metrick, ; Kim, Franks, & Higgins, ; Mosca & McCrory, ; Nabeshima & Seay, ).…”

First on the List: Effectiveness at Self-Regulation and Prioritizing Difficult Exercise Goal Pursuit

“…Instead of waiting to complete difficult tasks later in the day, individuals who are effective at self-regulation may plan to complete them earlier in the day before other tasks, stresses, or unexpected demands come up and exhaust their limited time and energy resources. We expect that planning may be specific to difficult goal pursuits because those tasks are the most likely to take mental, physical, and regulatory resources (vanDellen et al, 2012) and are the most likely to be thwarted by distractions.…”

“…Self-control, the effortful and conscious overriding of dominant responses (Baumeister et al, 1994; Baumeister, Vohs, & Tice, 2007; Tangney et al, 2004), is one means by which individuals engage in self-regulation (vanDellen, Hoyle, & Miller, 2012). This particular self-regulatory activity can be challenging because individuals’ abilities and motivation to exert the self-control necessary to effectively pursue difficult goal pursuits appears to be limited in capacity (Baumeister et al, 1998; Molden et al, 2012; Muraven & Baumeister, 2000; Vohs, Baumeister, & Schmeichel, 2013).…”

“…We focus on the strategy of temporal planning for self-control because previous research suggests that planning goal pursuit facilitates goal outcomes (Gollwitzer, 1993; Gollwitzer, 1999; Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006; Webb & Sheeran, 2003; Webb & Sheeran, 2006). Acts of self-control that are needed for many goal pursuits require an individual to move from automatic to effortful control (Hofmann, Baumeister, Förster, & Vohs, 2012; Myrseth & Fishbach, 2009; vanDellen et al, 2012), and having a plan in place can increase the chances of being successful when self-control is necessary (Gollwitzer & Brandtst_tter, 1997; Gollwitzer & Schaal, 1998). Women who planned when, where, and how to complete breast self-examinations—a task often considered unpleasant and potentially requiring self-control—were more likely to actually complete a breast self-examination (Luszczynska & Schwarzer, 2003).…”