Self Control: Fun Over Future? - Elisabeth Jacoby

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    Imagine setting a goal to become a better you; journaling, meal prepping, making a calendar, working out, seeing family more, saving money… But one day a long exhausting dread comes over you, you receive a chipotle notification.  At some point your finger slips and you give in, Chipotle arrives at your door and a bittersweet feeling arrives in your chest.  You are excited for food and you deserve it, but you are not abiding by your goals- your self control has failed
    When the immediate reward outweighs the long term reward, our brains crave the immediate reward.  Delay discounting is the technical term.  Rewards that come later in the process are undervalued.  When long-term benefits are clear and certain, immediate gratification still takes the cake.  Behavior psychology delves into impulsive choices and how they are not a reflection of being lazy, but a reflection of the brain's reward system functioning weaker than the reinforcement.
   Some ways to work on this is changing your environment, making it easier to make healthy choices.  You can present your rewards so they gratify you, easing your need for an immediate reward.  And even things like making rules and guidelines head of time and giving yourself a certain amount of time to fall behind/mess up.  


“APA PsycNet.” Psycnet.apa.org, psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-22103-010.

Comments

  1. Olivia WoodJune 29, 2025 at 9:37 AM

    Hi Elisabeth!

    I have definitely fallen victim to instant gratification. It is difficult to have self-control in all aspects of life. I find that my self-control lacks more during the school year. Since I have to dedicate so much time and effort into controlling my academic performance, I find I allow myself to be lax in other areas. I really liked your suggestion about organizing rewards to gratify you, as well as allowing for "mess-ups." If we can account for instances in which we know we will struggle with self-control, it may be better to present some sort of controlled instant gratification, or at least less delayed, to combat more intense forms. This was an interesting read!

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