The notion that we can tell ourselves what to do or talk ourselves
out of something suggests that we intuitively feel that the inner voice has self-control powers. By examining performance on a classic self-control task, this study provides evidence that when we tell ourselves to “keep going” on the treadmill, or when we count to ten during an argument, we may be helping ourselves to successfully overcome our impulses in favour of goals like being fit, and preserving a relationship.
Thus, these results suggest that we can use our inner voices to ignore and resist temptation — one of the defining abilities of our species
The notion that we can tell ourselves what to do or talk ourselves
out of something suggests that we intuitively feel that the inner voice has self-control powers. By examining performance on a classic self-control task, this study provides evidence that when we tell ourselves to “keep going” on the treadmill, or when we count to ten during an argument, we may be helping ourselves to successfully overcome our impulses in favour of goals like being fit, and preserving a relationship.
Thus, these results suggest that we can use our inner voices to ignore and resist temptation — one of the defining abilities of our species