ABSTRACT
A common finding with regard to dieting behavior is that though initial success is quite prevalent, the long-term maintenance is generally quite rare. Self-control can be temporarily undermined by a number of factors, including present-bias preferences, dual decisions approach, temptations, cravings, negative moods, and so on. A number of situational factors can temporally impair willpower, such as ego depletion, cognitive load, stress, intoxication, and blood sugar. This chapter highlights a number of interconnected motivational forces that can generate self-control failure. Self-control failures involving the use of alcohol and illegal drugs show the same pattern. The chapter reviews the central elements of delay discounting and provides a framework for identifying sources of impulsive behaviors. The dual decision model distinguishes between two separate but interacting systems of deliberation and impulse or affective. Working Memory Capacity (WMC) is important for maintaining self-control in pursuing a wide variety of goals. Negative affect is among the most important triggers of self-control failure.
