Unifying the Scientific Concept of Self-Control: Self-Control as Task Hacking

Juan Pablo Bermúdez (Universidad Externado de Colombia)

Abstract:  There are two apparently irreconcilable aspects of the scientific concept of self-control: the moment-to-moment state self-control and the stable trait of self-control. Deploying state self-control requires exerting cognitive effort, whereas the latter is linked with long-term wellbeing benefits but seems unrelated to cognitive effort. Are these two scientific constructs measuring the same thing? Or do they refer to different psychological phenomena? In this talk I propose the task-hacking view of self-control, which seeks to harmonize both aspects of the concept, make sense of the empirical literature, and help move the scientific study of self-control forward.