Search results for "Habit strength"

Self-Control in Daily Life

2016

In this daily diary study, we investigated the flexibility-enhancing effects of positive affect on the self-reported success of self-control strategies followed in daily life; 297 participants completed a 13-day daily diary that included measures of positive affect, desire, and habit strength as well as three self-control strategies (i.e., monitoring, distraction, and stimulus control). We found specific effects of positive affect on self-control strategies: Individuals with higher positive affect were most successful when following a strategy of distraction (e.g., thinking about something else), particularly when faced with strong tempting desires. These results reinforce the idea that po…