Life choices well made: How selective control strategies relate to career and partner decision processes

There are many benefits of applying control strategies that foster engagement in pursuing selected goals (i.e., selective control strategies). We examined one such benefit by investigating how use of selective control strategies when making important real-life decisions helps young adults make satisfactory choices in the areas of work and love. In a prospective longitudinal study, 60 students who intended to choose a college major and/or find a romantic partner initially reported on their control strategies. Subsequently, we assessed changes in the perceived attractiveness of considered majors and partners during decision making and our participants’ satisfaction with their choices. As expected, use of selective control strategies predicted greater choice satisfaction. This association was mediated by the greater perceived attractiveness of chosen majors or partners, which increased during decision making. Applying selective control strategies during real-life decisions thus leads to more favorable evaluations of the resulting choices, which can ease their implementation.