14 DAY TRIAL // Self-control is in a number of situations an ability that not many people can show. Somehow, we seem to have a natural tendency towards harming ourselves, but a new study suggests that not all may be lost. According to the investigation, people are more likely to exert self-restraint, and practice moderation and self-control if they think of someone who is able to show all of these traits before doing a certain action. The research was conducted in the laboratory, but researchers behind it believe that it implies the fact that self-control can spread through social circles like a ripple, LiveScience reports.
In the same experiments, it was also demonstrated that people are influenced in the same way when looking at individuals with high levels of self-control directly. Participants refrained from gobbling down an extra meal of unhealthy food, or refused an additional drink, all because they got the example from a real or imagined person. The science team behind the new study believes that this is a clear indicator of the fact that self-control is contagious.
It was also established in the same paper that the exact opposite held true for people with low levels of self-control. Experts determined that simply mentioning the name of such a person, or exposing test participants to this type of individuals, was very likely to elicit a similar effect in the participants. This suggests a very basic mechanism for propagating self-control, or the lack thereof, through social circles. If you have friends capable of refraining themselves from actions that are detrimental to their health, then you are likely to do the same. However, if your friends cannot show self-control, chances are that you will not be able to do so as well.
“The take-home message of this study is that picking social influences that are positive can improve your self-control. And by exhibiting self-control, you're helping others around you do the same,” University of Georgia Psychology Professor Michelle vanDellen says. She is also the lead author of a new study detailing the findings, which has already been published online, in the December 15 issue of the scientific journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. “This isn't an excuse for blaming other people for our failures. Yes, I'm getting nudged, but it's not like my friend is taking the cookie and feeding it to me; the decision is ultimately mine,” the expert concludes.