Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

A fundamental research question in behavior change research is why are old habits so enduring even when we gain insight about their damaging effects and are determined to change them? Why is it that people who are able to successfully initiate changes in their behavior are more often than not unable to sustain those changes over time? What leads a person to temporarily prefer poorer alternative? How can we explain such behavior that goes against our own self-interest? One possible answer is that people have self-control problem in the form of a present-biased preference (a predisposition for excessive myopic behavior) where one places extra weight on more immediate rewards. This session presents a behavioral economic perspective for understanding self-control failure. Self-control failures result in the person to act in a way opposite to her better judgments or intentions. Self-control can be temporarily undermined by a number of factors, including the surrounding context, lack of willpower, cravings, negative moods, and so on. These factors together explain why there is conflict between long-term human intentions and short-term actions, which leads to myopic decisions. An understanding of the circumstances under which people fail at self-control can provide valuable insights into how to overcome self-control problems. This session concludes by discussing ways to motivate individuals to act according with their long-term goals. shesh1@uis.edu

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