Why Do People High in Self-Control Eat More Healthily? Social Cognitions as Mediators

Hankonen, Nelli; Kinnunen, Marja; Absetz, Pilvikki; Jallinoja, Piia

doi:10.1007/s12160-013-9535-1

Cited by 49 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…These results are consistent with the large body of research demonstrating consistent small-to-medium-sized relations between trait self-control and health behaviours (e.g., Hamilton, Fleig, & Hagger, 2019;Hankonen et al, 2014;Junger & van Kampen, 2010;Tangney et al, 2004). Trait self-control was a predictor of all behaviours in the current model, with a predictable pattern: negative relations between trait self-control and impulsive eating and drinking, exercise avoidance, and alcohol consumption, and positive relations between trait self-control and watching diet and physical activity participation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Research examining relations between trait self-control and health behaviours, for example, has identified indirect effects on behavioural outcomes mediated by social cognition and intentions, as well as direct effects (Hankonen et al, 2014). Research examining relations between trait self-control and health behaviours, for example, has identified indirect effects on behavioural outcomes mediated by social cognition and intentions, as well as direct effects (Hankonen et al, 2014).…”

Section: What Does This Study Add?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Self‐control and health‐related behaviour: The role of implicit self‐control, trait self‐control, and lay beliefs in self‐control

Hagger

Gucciardi

Turrell

et al. 2019

British J Health Psychol

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Objectives. We tested unique contribution of trait self-control, implicit self-control, and lay beliefs in self-control beliefs to the prediction of health-related behaviours. We also tested whether relations between trait self-control and health-related behaviour, and between implicit self-control and health-related behaviours, were moderated by selfcontrol beliefs.Design. Cross-sectional, correlational.Methods. Students (N = 176) completed self-report measures of trait self-control, lay beliefs that self-control is limited or non-limited, non-planning, participation in healthrelated behaviours (impulsive eating, impulsive drinking, exercise avoidance, watching diet, alcohol consumption, physical activity participation), and demographic variables. Participants also completed a measure of implicit self-control using an implicit association test.Results. Analyses indicated significant negative relations between implicit self-control and impulsive drinking and alcohol consumption. We also found a positive relationship between implicit self-control and exercise behaviour, and a negative relationship between implicit self-control and impulsive eating, both of which fell marginally short of statistical significance. Trait self-control significantly predicted all behavioural measures and attenuated relations between implicit self-control and health-related behaviour. We found no relations between lay beliefs in self-control and health-related behaviour. Moderated path analyses revealed that lay beliefs in self-control moderated relations between trait self-control and impulsive drinking, implicit self-control and exercise avoidance, and implicit self-control and physical activity participation.Conclusions. Findings suggest that trait self-control was a consistent correlate of health-related behaviour, while the effect sizes of relationships between implicit self-

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: What Does This Study Add?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Self‐control and health‐related behaviour: The role of implicit self‐control, trait self‐control, and lay beliefs in self‐control

Hagger

Gucciardi

Turrell

et al. 2019

British J Health Psychol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In addition, self‐efficacy represents people's feelings of confidence in their ability to perform the behaviour in question . Having these attributes is associated with desire to improve health and stronger intentions and promoting more positive and fewer negative expectations about the consequences of healthy eating . In comparison, less self‐regulation is associated with stronger belief in the inconvenience and bad taste of healthier foods .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…One aspect of self‐regulation is self‐control; ‘the ability to override or change one's inner responses, as well as to interrupt undesired behavioural tendencies and refrain from acting on them’ . In addition, self‐efficacy represents people's feelings of confidence in their ability to perform the behaviour in question . Having these attributes is associated with desire to improve health and stronger intentions and promoting more positive and fewer negative expectations about the consequences of healthy eating .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The barriers and enablers of healthy eating among young adults: a missing piece of the obesity puzzle: A scoping review

2016

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Young adults in Western countries are gaining weight faster than their parents and are more likely to gain weight than any other age cohort. Despite this, investigation into the complex young adults' food choice motives, which enable and prevent healthy eating, has not been widely investigated. A scoping review was conducted involving an extensive literature search of four major electronic databases: Medline, Embase, PsychInfo and CINAHL. Data were collected from 34 articles: study descriptions numerically analysed and key findings thematically analysed. The key barriers found included: male apathy towards diet; unhealthy diet of friends and family; expected consumption of unhealthy foods in certain situations; relative low cost of unhealthy foods; lack of time to plan, shop, prepare and cook healthy foods; lack of facilities to prepare, cook and store healthy foods; widespread presence of unhealthy foods; lack of knowledge and skills to plan, shop, prepare and cook healthy foods; lack of motivation to eat healthily (including risk-taking behaviour). The key enablers found included: female interest in a healthy diet; healthy diet of friends and family; support/encouragement of friends and family to eat healthy; desire for improved health; desire for weight management; desire for improved self-esteem; desire for attractiveness to potential partners and others; possessing autonomous motivation to eat healthy and existence and use of self-regulatory skills. This research provides evidence that can be used to tailor interventions for healthy eating and overweight and obesity in this population. However, government intervention in addressing food access, affordability, marketing and taxation remains essential to any significant change.

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“…Maintaining a healthy diet relies on self-control, such as active monitoring of food intake and resistance against tempting but unhealthy food (e.g., Michie, Abraham, Whittington, McAteer, & Gupta, 2009;Papies, Stroebe, & Aarts, 2008). Consistently, healthy eating is related to high trait self-control (Hankonen, Kinnunen, Absetz, & Jallinoja, 2014;Tangney, Baumeister, & Boone, 2004) and can be promoted by the training of general self-control skills (Oaten & Cheng, 2006). Critically, ego-depletion undermines impulse control against unhealthy temptations (Hofmann, Rauch, & Gawronski, 2007).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A depleted mind feels inefficacious: Ego‐depletion reduces self‐efficacy to exert further self‐control

Chow

Hui

Lau

2015

Euro J Social Psych

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Recent research has found that ego-depletion undermines self-control by motivating cognition that justifies conservation of mental resource. One potential cognitive mechanism is reduction of self-efficacy. Specifically, we propose that ego-depletion might demotivate self-control by making people believe that they are inefficacious in exerting self-control in subsequent tasks. Three experiments support the proposal. First, we demonstrated that (a) ego-depletion can reduce self-efficacy to exert further control (Experiments 1 to 3) and (b) the temporary reduction of self-efficacy mediates the effect of depletion on self-control performance (Experiment 2). Finally, we found that (c) these effects are only observed among participants who endorse a limited (versus non-limited) theory of willpower and are, hence, more motivated to conserve mental resources (Experiment 3). Taken together, the present findings show that decrease in self-efficacy to exert further self-control is an important cognitive process that explains how ego-depletion demotivates self-control. This research also contributes to the recent discussion of the psychological processes underlying ego-depletion.

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Why Do People High in Self-Control Eat More Healthily? Social Cognitions as Mediators

Abstract: Individuals high in trait self-control eat more healthily because they have higher self-efficacy, more positive taste expectations, stronger intentions and more plans, compared to those low in self-control.

Cited by 49 publications

References 24 publications

Self‐control and health‐related behaviour: The role of implicit self‐control, trait self‐control, and lay beliefs in self‐control

Self‐control and health‐related behaviour: The role of implicit self‐control, trait self‐control, and lay beliefs in self‐control

The barriers and enablers of healthy eating among young adults: a missing piece of the obesity puzzle: A scoping review

A depleted mind feels inefficacious: Ego‐depletion reduces self‐efficacy to exert further self‐control

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