Trait self-control and beliefs about the utility of emotions for initiatory and inhibitory self-control |
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Authors: | Michelle Tornquist Eleanor Miles |
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Affiliation: | School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK |
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Abstract: | How do people with high trait self-control achieve their success? This research aimed to investigate beliefs about emotion utility as a potential mechanism. Specifically, because beliefs about the utility of emotions predict emotion regulation and successful performance, we investigate the hypothesis that trait self-control influences beliefs about the utility of emotions for self-control. Two preregistered studies examined whether beliefs about the utility of emotions in everyday self-control situations varied depending on the person (trait self-control) and the situation (initiatory or inhibitory self-control). Our key finding was that people considered positive emotions more useful for self-control than negative emotions. This effect was also moderated by situational and individual factors, such that positive emotions were considered especially useful by participants with high trait self-control and in situations requiring initiatory self-control (with the opposite effect for negative emotions). This research suggests a potential role for instrumental emotion regulation in self-control success. |
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Keywords: | self-control trait self-control emotion emotion regulation initiatory self-control inhibitory self-control |
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