ABSTRACT
The exertion of self-control is critical in various spheres in life as it captures the effortful inhibition of impulses and forms a crucial part of executive functioning processes involved in strategic planning, engaging in high-effort thinking, and actively making choices and decisions. Self-control is clearly relevant in understanding health and well-being and is associated with behaviors such as yielding to and resisting food temptations, engaging in physical exercise, eating whole bran and fruit, and balancing work and family life. In addition to health concerns not playing a substantial part in people’s food choices, a host of factors have been identified in the literature that may create conditions that are conducive to low self-control decision-making within, but certainly also beyond, the food and health domains. The effectiveness of the sixth heuristic principle, commitment and consistency, was demonstrated using a sample of participants that differed in chronic, rather than state self-control.
