New psychology research flips the script on happiness and self-control

A study published in *Social Psychological and Personality Science* is offering a new perspective on the connection between happiness and self-control. Contrary to popular belief, the research suggests that your sense of well-being might actually fuel your self-discipline, rather than the other way around. This implies that concentrating on emotional health could be key to achieving long-term goals.

For a long time, psychology has emphasized self-control as a vital ingredient for a successful life. The common idea is that resisting immediate pleasures in favor of achieving future goals leads to better health, career advancement, and financial stability. It's often assumed that greater self-control results in increased happiness and overall life satisfaction.

That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. the scientific evidence directly linking self-control to well-being has been uncertain. Many past studies have relied on data showing a correlation between the two, but correlation doesn't prove causation. Other research attempting to track these elements over time has encountered methodological hurdles, making it hard to reach solid conclusions.

According to Lile Jia, study author, associate professor at the National University of Singapore, and director of the Situated Goal Pursuit (SPUR) Lab, this research was prompted by a gap in existing knowledge. Jia stated that psychologists have long thought of self-control as a primary factor in well-being.

Jia added that while the common belief is that more disciplined people are generally happier and more satisfied, the research team found surprisingly little strong evidence to support this claim. Most studies only showed a correlation, and the few longitudinal studies trying to prove cause and effect had methodological flaws that made their findings unclear.

Jia explained that there are strong theoretical reasons to believe that the causal relationship might actually go in the opposite direction. For instance, Barbara Fredrickson’s “broaden-and-build” theory suggests that positive emotions, which are essential to well-being, broaden our thinking and help us develop personal resources. Jia and her team believed that these resources could then lead to improved self-control.

The central goal of the study was to use more reliable statistical methods (the RI-CLPM) and a three-wave longitudinal design to rigorously test these competing ideas and clarify the direction of the relationship between self-control and well-being. This approach is better suited for drawing conclusions about causality than the two-wave designs used in previous research.

The researchers conducted two longitudinal studies. The first study involved 377 working adults from an Asian country, who were part of a larger project focused on career development and lifelong learning.

Data was gathered from these individuals at three different times, each six months apart. This enabled the researchers to monitor changes within the same people over a year. Participants completed a 20-item scale to measure their self-control, assessing their capacity to resist impulses, start tasks, and maintain positive behaviors.

To evaluate their well-being, participants answered questions designed to be culturally relevant to their population, covering their levels of happiness, self-worth, and appreciation for life. The team also used a statistical technique called the random intercept cross-lagged panel model.

This method is important because it distinguishes between stable personality traits and temporary changes within an individual. It helped researchers determine whether an increase in well-being at one point predicted a later increase in self-control. By isolating these individual changes, the model offered a more reliable test for potential causal links than traditional methods.

The results of the first study challenged the conventional understanding. Earlier levels of self-control didn't reliably predict improvements in well-being six months later. Simply being disciplined didn't appear to make participants happier in the future.

That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. the data did support the alternative idea: participants who reported higher levels of well-being at one point showed greater self-control at the next measurement. Feeling good seemed to pave the way for functioning well.

To confirm that these results weren't specific to one culture or timeframe, the researchers conducted a second study with a larger sample of 1,299 working adults in the United States. This study followed a similar three-wave design but used a shorter timeframe to capture more immediate effects.

In the American study, participants completed surveys monthly for three months, answering the same self-control questions as in the first study. To measure well-being, they rated their positive feelings, optimism, and vitality.

The analysis of the American data mirrored the findings from the Asian sample. High self-control at the beginning of a month didn't lead to increased well-being the following month. The expected happiness boost from disciplined behavior didn't appear in the short term.

That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. the reverse relationship remained strong and positive. People who felt more optimistic and energetic at the start of the month showed better self-control a month later. This consistency across two different cultures and time periods provides strong evidence that well-being primarily influences self-control.

Jia told PsyPost that the most surprising finding was the consistent lack of evidence supporting the popular idea that self-control leads to later well-being. Given how deeply ingrained this belief is, she said, they expected to see at least some effect in that direction. The fact that the data from two separate studies so clearly supported only the path from well-being to self-control was quite striking, challenging a fundamental assumption and highlighting the need to rethink how we view these two crucial aspects of a good life.

The researchers performed additional analyses to further validate these patterns. In the first study, participants also provided daily reports of their mood and behavior for a week. These records showed that while positive emotions predicted self-control months later, self-control didn't uniquely predict daily positive emotions when general well-being was considered.

The researchers suggest that positive emotions might help replenish the mental energy needed to resist temptations and stick to challenging tasks. When people feel good, they may be more receptive to challenges and better at managing conflicting goals. This supports the idea that well-being fuels self-control.

Jia said that the most important takeaway for the average person is to reconsider how they approach self-improvement. Instead of simply trying harder or focusing on building discipline through willpower, she suggests a potentially more effective and pleasant alternative: prioritize your well-being to build your self-control.

Instead of viewing happiness as a reward for achieving goals through discipline, Jia suggests thinking of well-being as the fuel that powers self-control. If you want to improve your ability to resist temptations, start new projects, or maintain good habits, a great first step is to engage in activities that make you feel happy, energetic, optimistic, and appreciative of life. The research indicates that feeling well comes before functioning well.

The study's strength lies in its use of a three-wave longitudinal design across two diverse cultural samples. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. like all research, it has limitations. The statistical framework assumes that the relationships between variables remain constant over time. It's also possible that unmeasured factors, such as changes in sleep, stress, or social support, could affect both well-being and self-control simultaneously.

It's also important to remember that the absence of a short-term effect doesn't mean self-control has no connection to happiness. Jia explained that the study's failure to find a causal effect of self-control on well-being doesn't mean that self-control is unimportant for happiness altogether.

She added that having high self-control as a stable, long-term trait might contribute to a person's overall life satisfaction, even if short-term changes in self-control don't cause short-term changes in well-being.

Therefore, Jia cautions against thinking that self-control doesn't matter for happiness. A more accurate interpretation is that if you're seeking positive change, boosting your well-being is a more direct and effective way to improve your self-control, rather than the other way around.

Future research could investigate the specific mechanisms through which well-being enhances self-control. It's possible that positive moods speed up habit formation or improve cognitive flexibility. Understanding these processes could lead to better interventions for people struggling with self-regulation.

Jia concludes that the path to greater self-control doesn't have to be a difficult struggle. Instead, it can be built on positive experiences. By actively fostering joy, engagement, and meaning in our lives, we not only feel better in the moment but also develop the psychological resources we need to be more effective and successful in the future, placing the pursuit of well-being at the heart of personal growth.