TY - JOUR
T1 - Riding Other People's Coattails
T2 - Individuals With Low Self-Control Value Self-Control in Other People
AU - Shea, Catherine T.
AU - Davisson, Erin K.
AU - Fitzsimons, Gráinne M.
N1 - Funding Information:
Erin K. Davisson was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse under Award No. F31 DA029379.
PY - 2013/6
Y1 - 2013/6
N2 - Two laboratory experiments and one dyadic study of ongoing relationships of romantic partners examined how temporary and chronic deficits in self-control affect individuals' evaluations of other people. We suggest that when individuals lack self-control resources, they value such resources in other people. Our results support this hypothesis: We found that individuals low (but not high) in self-control use information about other people's self-control abilities when judging them, evaluating other people with high self-control more positively than those with low self-control. In Study 1, participants whose self-control was depleted preferred people with higher self-control, whereas nondepleted participants did not show this preference. In Study 2, we conceptually replicated this effect while using a behavioral measure of trait self-control. In Study 3, individuals with low (but not high) self-control reported greater dependence on dating partners with high self-control than on those with low self-control. We theorize that individuals with low self-control may use interpersonal relationships to compensate for their lack of personal self-control resources.
AB - Two laboratory experiments and one dyadic study of ongoing relationships of romantic partners examined how temporary and chronic deficits in self-control affect individuals' evaluations of other people. We suggest that when individuals lack self-control resources, they value such resources in other people. Our results support this hypothesis: We found that individuals low (but not high) in self-control use information about other people's self-control abilities when judging them, evaluating other people with high self-control more positively than those with low self-control. In Study 1, participants whose self-control was depleted preferred people with higher self-control, whereas nondepleted participants did not show this preference. In Study 2, we conceptually replicated this effect while using a behavioral measure of trait self-control. In Study 3, individuals with low (but not high) self-control reported greater dependence on dating partners with high self-control than on those with low self-control. We theorize that individuals with low self-control may use interpersonal relationships to compensate for their lack of personal self-control resources.
KW - interpersonal relationships
KW - self-control
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84878802080&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84878802080&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0956797612464890
DO - 10.1177/0956797612464890
M3 - Article
C2 - 23558551
AN - SCOPUS:84878802080
SN - 0956-7976
VL - 24
SP - 1031
EP - 1036
JO - Psychological Science
JF - Psychological Science
IS - 6
ER -