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Beyond Resistance: Understanding Trait Self-Control Through Strategic Indulgence

Mario Wenzel et al.

Social Psychological and Personality Science2026https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506261422582article
AJG 3ABDC B
Weight
0.50

What the paper says

Trait self-control is often equated with resistance, leaving open whether it also involves domain-general conflict minimization and the strategic indulgence of low-conflict desires. We reanalyzed four ambulatory assessment datasets ( N = 559 participants with 32,049 measurement occasions) to test whether these mechanisms explain the well-being benefits of trait self-control. Results showed that individuals high in self-control experienced fewer desire-goal conflicts (conflict minimization) and pursued desires selectively (strategic indulgence), with both conflict minimization and strategic indulgence being associated with significantly better hedonic well-being. These findings challenge the notion of self-control as mere restraint, emphasizing its role in optimizing both goal attainment and well-being by making strategic choices about when it is beneficial to indulge in desires without undermining long-term goals. Future research should examine whether these strategies are intentional or byproducts of effective planning.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506261422582

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@article{mario2026,
  title        = {{Beyond Resistance: Understanding Trait Self-Control Through Strategic Indulgence}},
  author       = {Mario Wenzel et al.},
  journal      = {Social Psychological and Personality Science},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506261422582},
}

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.