title: Self-control and its relation to emotions and psychobiology: evidence from a Day Reconstruction Method study.
abstract: This study aimed to ascertain whether self-control predicts heart rate, heart rate variability, and the cortisol slope, and to determine whether health behaviors and affect patterns mediate these relationships. A sample of 198 adults completed the Self-Control Scale (Tangney in J Pers 72:271-322, 2004), and reported their exercise levels, and cigarette and alcohol use. Participants provided a complete account of their emotional experiences over a full day, along with morning and evening salivary cortisol samples and a continuous measure of cardiovascular activity on the same day. High trait self-control predicted low resting heart rate, high heart rate variability, and a steep cortisol slope. Those with high self-control displayed stable emotional patterns which explained the link between self-control and the cortisol slope. The self-controlled smoked less and this explained their low heart rates. The capacity to sustain stable patterns of affect across diverse contexts may be an important pathway through which self-control relates to psychophysiological functioning and potentially health.
authors.affiliation: Stirling Management School, Stirling University, Stirling, UK, michael.daly@stir.ac.uk.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Baumeister
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Delaney
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: MacLachlan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone