ESAs human beings, we can’t always overcome temptation through willpower alone. So, what can we do instead?
Certain times of the year often inspire us to set new goals: the start of a year, a birthday, the beginning of summer… These are moments when we feel more motivated to work towards our long-term well-being. However, as you well know, we often fall prey to what behavioral science experts call the present bias. This bias leads us to choose immediate gratification, even when we know it could be detrimental in the future.
By nature, we tend to prefer the immediate, even when there are more beneficial long-term alternatives. Perhaps, right now, you’d rather skip the gym than work towards future health, or you decide to spend money now instead of saving for retirement. Don’t worry, this is normal.
As human beings, we cannot always overcome these challenges with willpower alone. So, what can we do to overcome these “temptations”? This is the research question that Duckworth et al. (2018) answered in their article. Here are the three strategies they propose to reduce self-control problems:
1. Commitment Devices: Choosing Now to Restrict Future Choices.
Imagine you could place your food order for an event a week from now. Is it better to do it now or wait until the day of the event? The answer seems clear: ordering in advance allows you to choose healthier options, demonstrating how your “present self” can be kind to your “future self”.
Evidence supports this idea: we make more self-controlled decisions when we plan rather than acting in the moment (Milkman, K. L. et al., 2010). Commitment devices are powerful tools for avoiding harmful actions later.
2. Temptation Bundling: Matching “Want” with “Should”.
Temptation bundling strategies are very powerful tools. They combine an activity that we should do but don’t want to do (e.g., going to the gym) with behaviors that are already part of our routine or give us pleasure, such as listening to our favorite podcast (Milkman, K. L. et al., 2014).
3. Goal Setting: Planning to Achieve a Goal.
Setting specific and challenging goals has proven to be very effective in improving performance (Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P., 2002). Breaking down long-term goals into smaller, more immediate sub-goals can be beneficial, as achieving these sub-goals creates a sense of progress each time a new, small victory is achieved (Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F., 1990).
Remember that, at times, the path to self-regulation is not about waiting to have more willpower but about creating conditions that make our long-term decisions easier. If we manage to take control of our choices now, we can build a healthier and more balanced future.
[References]
[1] Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1990). Origins and functions of positive and negative affect: A control-process view. Psychological Review, 97(1), 19–35. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.97.1.19
[2] Duckworth, A. L., Milkman, K. L., & Laibson, D. (2018). Beyond Willpower: Strategies for Reducing Failures of Self-Control. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19(3), 102–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100618821893
[3] Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705–717. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705
[4] Milkman, K. L., Minson, J. A., & Volpp, K. G. M. (2014). Holding The Hunger Games hostage at the gym: An evaluation of temptation bundling. Management Science, 60(2), 283–299. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2013.1784
[5] Milkman, K. L., Rogers, T., & Bazerman, M. H. (2010). I’ll have the ice cream soon and the vegetables later: A study of online grocery purchases and order lead time. Marketing Letters, 21(1), 17–35. http://www.jstor.org/stable/406
Are you interested?
Get in touch!
