Construal levels and self-control.

TLDR

High‑level construals, which emphasize global features of events, are hypothesized to enhance self‑control compared to low‑level construals that focus on local details. The authors propose that self‑control involves decisions and behaviors consistent with high‑level versus low‑level construals of a situation. Six experiments using three techniques manipulated construal levels and measured their effects on self‑control and related psychological processes. High‑level construals decreased preference for immediate over delayed outcomes, increased physical endurance, strengthened intentions to exert self‑control, and lowered positive evaluations of temptations, supporting a construal‑level analysis of self‑control.

Abstract

The authors propose that self-control involves making decisions and behaving in a manner consistent with high-level versus low-level construals of a situation. Activation of high-level construals (which capture global, superordinate, primary features of an event) should lead to greater self-control than activation of low-level construals (which capture local, subordinate, secondary features). In 6 experiments using 3 different techniques, the authors manipulated construal levels and assessed their effects on self-control and underlying psychological processes. High-level construals led to decreased preferences for immediate over delayed outcomes, greater physical endurance, stronger intentions to exert self-control, and less positive evaluations of temptations that undermine self-control. These results support a construal-level analysis of self-control.