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Beyond Willpower: Strategies for Reducing Failures of Self-Control.

Angela L DuckworthKatherine L MilkmanDavid Laibson
Published in: Psychological science in the public interest : a journal of the American Psychological Society (2019)
Almost everyone struggles to act in their individual and collective best interests, particularly when doing so requires forgoing a more immediately enjoyable alternative. Other than exhorting decision makers to "do the right thing," what can policymakers do to reduce overeating, undersaving, procrastination, and other self-defeating behaviors that feel good now but generate larger delayed costs? In this review, we synthesize contemporary research on approaches to reducing failures of self-control. We distinguish between self-deployed and other-deployed strategies and, in addition, between situational and cognitive intervention targets. Collectively, the evidence from both psychological science and economics recommends psychologically informed policies for reducing failures of self-control.
Keyphrases
  • public health
  • randomized controlled trial
  • depressive symptoms
  • physical activity
  • decision making
  • sleep quality