Barzallo, Devin: Failing With Friends: Social Experiences Minimize Feelings Of Self-Control Failure

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Title:  Failing With Friends: Social Experiences Minimize Feelings Of Self-Control Failure

Name: Devin Barzallo

Major:  Psychology and Biological Sciences

School affiliation:  School of Arts and Sciences

Programs: Aresty – Research or Conference Funding Recipient

Other contributors: Janna Kline-Dominick, Shana Cole

Abstract: Despite being motivated to achieve their long-term goals, people sometimes give in to goal-inconsistent temptations. While most existing research on self-control explores the decisions that individuals make alone (i.e., independently from other people), in reality people often make decisions with and around other people. In the present work, I explored the affective and behavioral consequences of indulging with someone compared to indulging alone. Students with academic goals (n = 436) made a goal-inconsistent decision to spend their time watching videos instead of learning strategies for effective note taking. Participants either made the decision together with a friend (co-indulgence condition) or alone (solo-indulgence condition). Participants who made the decision with a friend reported feeling less negative (e.g., guilty, disappointed) about their choice compared to participants who made the decision alone. Moreover, participants who co-indulged reported that watching videos instead of studying was less harmful for their academic goal. Co-indulgers were also less likely than solo-indulgers to seek to repair their goal harm with a subsequent note taking exercise. This work suggests that shared social experiences can impact how people reflect on their decisions, with important downstream consequences for sustained motivation and long-term goal success.