Habit formation, self-deception, and self-control

Recent research in psychology suggests that successful self-control is attributed to developing adaptive habits rather than resisting temptation. However, developing good habits itself is a self-regulating process, and people often fail to accumulate good habits. This study axiomatically characteriz...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Economic theory 2022-09, Vol.74 (2), p.547-592
Main Authors: Hayashi, Takashi, Takeoka, Norio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bias
Deception
Decision making
Decision theory
Economic theory
Economic Theory/Quantitative Economics/Mathematical Methods
Economics
Economics and Finance
Exercise
Game Theory
Habits
Hypotheses
Microeconomics
Physical fitness
Preferences
Psychological research
Psychology
Public Finance
Rehabilitation
Research Article
Self control
Social and Behav. Sciences
Temptation
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Summary:Recent research in psychology suggests that successful self-control is attributed to developing adaptive habits rather than resisting temptation. However, developing good habits itself is a self-regulating process, and people often fail to accumulate good habits. This study axiomatically characterizes a dynamic decision model where an agent may form a deceptive belief about his future preference: the agent correctly anticipates his future preference by considering the effect of habits; however, he is also tempted to ignore the habit formation. Self-control must be exerted for resisting such a self-deceptive belief. Our model is flexible enough to accommodate a variety of habit formation and explains behavioral puzzles related to gym attendance, self-control fatigue, and demand for commitment.
ISSN:0938-2259
1432-0479
DOI:10.1007/s00199-022-01445-1