title: Neural and behavioral evidence for an intrinsic cost of self-control.
abstract: The capacity for self-control is critical to adaptive functioning, yet our knowledge of the underlying processes and mechanisms is presently only inchoate. Theoretical work in economics has suggested a model of self-control centering on two key assumptions: (1) a division within the decision-maker between two 'selves' with differing preferences; (2) the idea that self-control is intrinsically costly. Neuroscience has recently generated findings supporting the 'dual-self' assumption. The idea of self-control costs, in contrast, has remained speculative. We report the first independent evidence for self-control costs. Through a neuroimaging meta-analysis, we establish an anatomical link between self-control and the registration of cognitive effort costs. This link predicts that individuals who strongly avoid cognitive demand should also display poor self-control. To test this, we conducted a behavioral experiment leveraging a measure of demand avoidance along with two measures of self-control. The results obtained provide clear support for the idea of self-control costs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America ; Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors.forename: Wouter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kool
authors.forename: Joseph T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: McGuire
authors.forename: Gary J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Matthew M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Botvinick
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D012649:Self Concept; D012927:Social Control, Informal