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#selfcontrol — Public Fediverse posts

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  1. DATE: May 12, 2026 at 04:00PM
    SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

    ** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
    -------------------------------------------------

    TITLE: New study finds sustainable living relies on stable personality traits, not temporary bursts of willpower

    URL: psypost.org/new-study-finds-su

    Recent research suggests that people who naturally possess higher levels of self-control tend to engage in more environmentally friendly habits over time. However, short-term changes in a person’s willpower do not directly lead to greener choices. These findings provide evidence that making sustainable choices easier, rather than relying on individual discipline, might be a more effective way to encourage eco-friendly habits. The study was published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

    Scientists conducted this study to better understand the psychological traits that drive people to protect the environment. Environmental challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss require immediate action from everyday people. Actions that reduce a person’s negative impact on the planet are known as pro-environmental behaviors. Taking these actions often requires individuals to override their immediate conveniences for the sake of long-term ecological goals.

    Pursuing these long-term goals requires a degree of self-regulation. Self-control is a specific and essential type of self-regulation. It involves managing internal reactions, delaying gratification, and resisting unwanted behavioral impulses. Previous research suggests that people with higher self-control tend to act more sustainably because they can keep long-term goals in mind.

    “The idea first struck me during a very ordinary moment,” said Jingguang Li, a professor of psychology at Dali University in China. “I had just finished a bottle of water and there was no recycling bin in sight. I felt the urge to simply discard it, but instead I held onto it until I found a proper disposal point.”

    “That minor internal struggle made me curious: do people with stronger self-control naturally gravitate toward greener choices in their daily lives?” Li said. His laboratory was already studying self-control, making the connection to everyday environmental behavior a natural extension of their work.

    Most previous studies on this topic relied on cross-sectional designs. A cross-sectional study looks at a group of people at a single point in time, much like a photograph. This makes it difficult to know the exact direction of the relationship between variables.

    “Previous studies found that more self-controlled people also report more sustainable habits, but almost all of that evidence came from cross-sectional surveys, single snapshots in time,” Li told PsyPost. “That leaves a crucial ambiguity: does the link simply reflect stable differences between people, or can a real change in self-control actually drive a change in behavior?”

    This single-snapshot approach also leaves room for survey bias. “Because both self-control and pro-environmental behavior are socially valued traits, respondents filling out a one-shot questionnaire tend to paint a consistently positive picture of themselves,” Li said. “If they rate themselves as highly disciplined, they often feel compelled to rate themselves as environmentally conscious too.”

    This bias can artificially inflate the correlation, making the two traits look more tightly linked than they truly are in daily life. “To get around both problems, we followed the same participants across multiple time points,” Li said. “Spacing out the measurements helps separate genuine directional effects from the bias of wanting to appear virtuous in a single sitting.”

    Longitudinal studies track the exact same individuals across multiple points in time. This allows scientists to see how changes in one trait might predict changes in another trait over months or years. The researchers specifically chose to study adolescents and young adults. Late adolescence and early adulthood are periods when individuals are still developing their self-regulation capacities and forming their long-term environmental habits.

    In the first study, the researchers recruited 221 high school students from a public school in China. The sample included about 66 percent female students with an average age of roughly 16 years old. The researchers assessed the students twice, with a full year passing between the first and second assessment waves. During each wave, the students filled out paper questionnaires in their classrooms while supervised by research assistants.

    To measure self-control, the scientists used a 13-item questionnaire. Students rated statements about their ability to resist temptation and their tendency to think before acting. To measure pro-environmental behavior, the students rated how often they engaged in specific green activities over the past 12 months. These activities included recycling cans, saving energy at home, or buying products in reusable containers.

    When analyzing the data, the scientists used a statistical technique called a cross-lagged panel model. This method looks at how a variable at the first time point predicts a different variable at the second time point. The findings of this first study showed that higher self-control at the start of the year predicted an increase in pro-environmental behaviors by the end of the year.

    The researchers conducted a second study to expand on these findings using a larger sample and a longer timeframe. The second study included 1286 university students from a single university in China. This group was about 63 percent female with an average age of roughly 19 years old. Instead of just two check-ins, the researchers tracked these students across three distinct waves, with exactly one year between each wave.

    Because the study spanned three full years, the scientists could use a more advanced statistical tool called a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model. This advanced statistical model separates the survey data into two different mathematical layers. The first layer looks at stable differences between different people. The second layer looks at temporary fluctuations within the exact same person.

    Separating these layers helps scientists avoid confusing a stable personality trait with a passing state of mind. At the stable, trait-like level, the researchers found a positive association between the two factors. Individuals who consistently showed higher self-control compared to their peers also consistently reported more sustainable behaviors. This suggests that self-control is a stable personal trait strongly linked to living a greener lifestyle.

    At the fluctuating, individual level, the data showed a different pattern. When a specific student experienced a natural drop or increase in their own typical self-control, it did not predict any subsequent change in their sustainable habits. This suggests that year-to-year shifts in a person’s willpower do not directly drive short-term changes in how they treat the environment.

    “We were genuinely surprised by what we found inside the same person over time,” Li said. “At the outset, we had assumed that if someone’s self-control improved, their pro-environmental behavior would improve with it. But when we tracked the same individuals across waves, natural fluctuations in self-control simply did not translate into meaningful shifts in pro-environmental behavior.”

    “The link is really anchored in stable, long-term trait differences,” Li continued. “It underscores that promoting sustainability requires more than urging people to ‘try harder’; we need to build habits and shape environments that make green choices effortless.”

    The results provide evidence that having greener habits is part of an overarching lifestyle rather than a fleeting mood. “The main message is that the connection between self-control and green behavior is primarily a stable trait-level pattern: people who generally have stronger self-control also tend to live more sustainably across time,” Li said. “Yet when we tracked the same individuals over multiple waves, short-term ups and downs in their self-control did not reliably produce immediate changes in their environmental habits.”

    “So it is not about heroic bursts of willpower in the moment; it is about who you are, on average, over the long haul,” Li added. “That distinction matters for everyday life. Sustainable living is really a marathon built from countless small decisions, turning off lights, carrying reusable bags, sorting waste, that add up over months and years.”

    This highlights the need for structural changes that make sustainable choices easier for everyone. “If we rely solely on asking people to ‘try harder’ each time, we are fighting an uphill battle against human nature,” Li said. “A smarter approach is to reduce the self-control demand itself. Putting reminder stickers near light switches, placing recycling bins in convenient locations, or sharing monthly electricity or water-use feedback with family members can make the green choice the easy choice.”

    Communities can also use nudging strategies to encourage green behaviors. Nudging involves designing choices in a way that guides people toward a desired action without restricting their freedom. Making recycling bins more accessible or automatically opting people into green energy plans reduces the amount of willpower needed to help the planet. “By designing environments and routines that minimize friction, we can promote sustainable actions without requiring constant mental effort,” Li said.

    The researchers also note that self-control could be used as a helpful metric when assembling teams to tackle climate issues. People with naturally high self-control might be better equipped to handle the long-term demands of environmental advocacy. “One final thought: when selecting people for roles with significant environmental responsibilities, it makes sense to weigh self-control alongside their environmental attitudes and professional competence,” Li said.

    The study does have a few limitations that should be noted. “We used self-report questionnaires and focused on Chinese high school and university students,” Li said. “That makes the findings suggestive rather than definitive. Future work should test whether the same pattern holds in other populations and with objective measures, such as actual behavioral tasks or real-world tracking, before drawing firmer conclusions.”

    In addition, the one-year gap between the data collection waves might have missed smaller, short-term connections between willpower and sustainable choices. A full year is a long time, and a person’s self-control might fluctuate on a daily or weekly basis.

    Going forward, the researchers plan to look at other psychological traits that support sustainable living. “Our next step is to understand why some people follow through on environmental intentions while others do not,” Li said. “We are especially interested in grit, passion and perseverance for long-term goals, because environmental protection is not a one-off act; it is a decades-long commitment.”

    “The Paris Agreement, for instance, sets carbon-neutrality targets for the mid-twenty-first century, a timeline that feels distant to most people alive today,” Li noted. “That means safeguarding the planet demands sustained effort against slow, incremental payoffs, exactly the conditions where grit should matter.”

    The scientists hope to figure out exactly how to foster this type of long-term dedication. “We want to test whether grit and related traits can help explain who stays the course in the face of such delayed rewards, and whether we can design interventions or educational programs that cultivate this kind of persistence for ecological goals,” Li said.

    The study, “Longitudinal associations between self-control and pro-environmental behaviors,” was authored by Xingbo Wang, Yanru Liu, Yalun Zhang, Zhenglian Su, Liyun Hua, Yajun Zhao, and Jingguang Li.

    URL: psypost.org/new-study-finds-su

    -------------------------------------------------

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    -------------------------------------------------

    #psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #SelfControl #ProEnvironmentalBehavior #SustainableLiving #EnvironmentalPsychology #HabitFormation #GreenerChoices #Nudging #EcoFriendlyHabits #LongitudinalStudy #ClimateAction

  2. DATE: May 12, 2026 at 04:00PM
    SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

    ** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
    -------------------------------------------------

    TITLE: New study finds sustainable living relies on stable personality traits, not temporary bursts of willpower

    URL: psypost.org/new-study-finds-su

    Recent research suggests that people who naturally possess higher levels of self-control tend to engage in more environmentally friendly habits over time. However, short-term changes in a person’s willpower do not directly lead to greener choices. These findings provide evidence that making sustainable choices easier, rather than relying on individual discipline, might be a more effective way to encourage eco-friendly habits. The study was published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

    Scientists conducted this study to better understand the psychological traits that drive people to protect the environment. Environmental challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss require immediate action from everyday people. Actions that reduce a person’s negative impact on the planet are known as pro-environmental behaviors. Taking these actions often requires individuals to override their immediate conveniences for the sake of long-term ecological goals.

    Pursuing these long-term goals requires a degree of self-regulation. Self-control is a specific and essential type of self-regulation. It involves managing internal reactions, delaying gratification, and resisting unwanted behavioral impulses. Previous research suggests that people with higher self-control tend to act more sustainably because they can keep long-term goals in mind.

    “The idea first struck me during a very ordinary moment,” said Jingguang Li, a professor of psychology at Dali University in China. “I had just finished a bottle of water and there was no recycling bin in sight. I felt the urge to simply discard it, but instead I held onto it until I found a proper disposal point.”

    “That minor internal struggle made me curious: do people with stronger self-control naturally gravitate toward greener choices in their daily lives?” Li said. His laboratory was already studying self-control, making the connection to everyday environmental behavior a natural extension of their work.

    Most previous studies on this topic relied on cross-sectional designs. A cross-sectional study looks at a group of people at a single point in time, much like a photograph. This makes it difficult to know the exact direction of the relationship between variables.

    “Previous studies found that more self-controlled people also report more sustainable habits, but almost all of that evidence came from cross-sectional surveys, single snapshots in time,” Li told PsyPost. “That leaves a crucial ambiguity: does the link simply reflect stable differences between people, or can a real change in self-control actually drive a change in behavior?”

    This single-snapshot approach also leaves room for survey bias. “Because both self-control and pro-environmental behavior are socially valued traits, respondents filling out a one-shot questionnaire tend to paint a consistently positive picture of themselves,” Li said. “If they rate themselves as highly disciplined, they often feel compelled to rate themselves as environmentally conscious too.”

    This bias can artificially inflate the correlation, making the two traits look more tightly linked than they truly are in daily life. “To get around both problems, we followed the same participants across multiple time points,” Li said. “Spacing out the measurements helps separate genuine directional effects from the bias of wanting to appear virtuous in a single sitting.”

    Longitudinal studies track the exact same individuals across multiple points in time. This allows scientists to see how changes in one trait might predict changes in another trait over months or years. The researchers specifically chose to study adolescents and young adults. Late adolescence and early adulthood are periods when individuals are still developing their self-regulation capacities and forming their long-term environmental habits.

    In the first study, the researchers recruited 221 high school students from a public school in China. The sample included about 66 percent female students with an average age of roughly 16 years old. The researchers assessed the students twice, with a full year passing between the first and second assessment waves. During each wave, the students filled out paper questionnaires in their classrooms while supervised by research assistants.

    To measure self-control, the scientists used a 13-item questionnaire. Students rated statements about their ability to resist temptation and their tendency to think before acting. To measure pro-environmental behavior, the students rated how often they engaged in specific green activities over the past 12 months. These activities included recycling cans, saving energy at home, or buying products in reusable containers.

    When analyzing the data, the scientists used a statistical technique called a cross-lagged panel model. This method looks at how a variable at the first time point predicts a different variable at the second time point. The findings of this first study showed that higher self-control at the start of the year predicted an increase in pro-environmental behaviors by the end of the year.

    The researchers conducted a second study to expand on these findings using a larger sample and a longer timeframe. The second study included 1286 university students from a single university in China. This group was about 63 percent female with an average age of roughly 19 years old. Instead of just two check-ins, the researchers tracked these students across three distinct waves, with exactly one year between each wave.

    Because the study spanned three full years, the scientists could use a more advanced statistical tool called a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model. This advanced statistical model separates the survey data into two different mathematical layers. The first layer looks at stable differences between different people. The second layer looks at temporary fluctuations within the exact same person.

    Separating these layers helps scientists avoid confusing a stable personality trait with a passing state of mind. At the stable, trait-like level, the researchers found a positive association between the two factors. Individuals who consistently showed higher self-control compared to their peers also consistently reported more sustainable behaviors. This suggests that self-control is a stable personal trait strongly linked to living a greener lifestyle.

    At the fluctuating, individual level, the data showed a different pattern. When a specific student experienced a natural drop or increase in their own typical self-control, it did not predict any subsequent change in their sustainable habits. This suggests that year-to-year shifts in a person’s willpower do not directly drive short-term changes in how they treat the environment.

    “We were genuinely surprised by what we found inside the same person over time,” Li said. “At the outset, we had assumed that if someone’s self-control improved, their pro-environmental behavior would improve with it. But when we tracked the same individuals across waves, natural fluctuations in self-control simply did not translate into meaningful shifts in pro-environmental behavior.”

    “The link is really anchored in stable, long-term trait differences,” Li continued. “It underscores that promoting sustainability requires more than urging people to ‘try harder’; we need to build habits and shape environments that make green choices effortless.”

    The results provide evidence that having greener habits is part of an overarching lifestyle rather than a fleeting mood. “The main message is that the connection between self-control and green behavior is primarily a stable trait-level pattern: people who generally have stronger self-control also tend to live more sustainably across time,” Li said. “Yet when we tracked the same individuals over multiple waves, short-term ups and downs in their self-control did not reliably produce immediate changes in their environmental habits.”

    “So it is not about heroic bursts of willpower in the moment; it is about who you are, on average, over the long haul,” Li added. “That distinction matters for everyday life. Sustainable living is really a marathon built from countless small decisions, turning off lights, carrying reusable bags, sorting waste, that add up over months and years.”

    This highlights the need for structural changes that make sustainable choices easier for everyone. “If we rely solely on asking people to ‘try harder’ each time, we are fighting an uphill battle against human nature,” Li said. “A smarter approach is to reduce the self-control demand itself. Putting reminder stickers near light switches, placing recycling bins in convenient locations, or sharing monthly electricity or water-use feedback with family members can make the green choice the easy choice.”

    Communities can also use nudging strategies to encourage green behaviors. Nudging involves designing choices in a way that guides people toward a desired action without restricting their freedom. Making recycling bins more accessible or automatically opting people into green energy plans reduces the amount of willpower needed to help the planet. “By designing environments and routines that minimize friction, we can promote sustainable actions without requiring constant mental effort,” Li said.

    The researchers also note that self-control could be used as a helpful metric when assembling teams to tackle climate issues. People with naturally high self-control might be better equipped to handle the long-term demands of environmental advocacy. “One final thought: when selecting people for roles with significant environmental responsibilities, it makes sense to weigh self-control alongside their environmental attitudes and professional competence,” Li said.

    The study does have a few limitations that should be noted. “We used self-report questionnaires and focused on Chinese high school and university students,” Li said. “That makes the findings suggestive rather than definitive. Future work should test whether the same pattern holds in other populations and with objective measures, such as actual behavioral tasks or real-world tracking, before drawing firmer conclusions.”

    In addition, the one-year gap between the data collection waves might have missed smaller, short-term connections between willpower and sustainable choices. A full year is a long time, and a person’s self-control might fluctuate on a daily or weekly basis.

    Going forward, the researchers plan to look at other psychological traits that support sustainable living. “Our next step is to understand why some people follow through on environmental intentions while others do not,” Li said. “We are especially interested in grit, passion and perseverance for long-term goals, because environmental protection is not a one-off act; it is a decades-long commitment.”

    “The Paris Agreement, for instance, sets carbon-neutrality targets for the mid-twenty-first century, a timeline that feels distant to most people alive today,” Li noted. “That means safeguarding the planet demands sustained effort against slow, incremental payoffs, exactly the conditions where grit should matter.”

    The scientists hope to figure out exactly how to foster this type of long-term dedication. “We want to test whether grit and related traits can help explain who stays the course in the face of such delayed rewards, and whether we can design interventions or educational programs that cultivate this kind of persistence for ecological goals,” Li said.

    The study, “Longitudinal associations between self-control and pro-environmental behaviors,” was authored by Xingbo Wang, Yanru Liu, Yalun Zhang, Zhenglian Su, Liyun Hua, Yajun Zhao, and Jingguang Li.

    URL: psypost.org/new-study-finds-su

    -------------------------------------------------

    DAILY EMAIL DIGEST: Email [email protected] -- no subject or message needed.

    Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: clinicians-exchange.org

    Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

    NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot

    Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: nationalpsychologist.com

    EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: subscribe-article-digests.clin

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    It's primitive... but it works... mostly...

    -------------------------------------------------

    #psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #SelfControl #ProEnvironmentalBehavior #SustainableLiving #EnvironmentalPsychology #HabitFormation #GreenerChoices #Nudging #EcoFriendlyHabits #LongitudinalStudy #ClimateAction

  3. DATE: May 12, 2026 at 04:00PM
    SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

    ** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
    -------------------------------------------------

    TITLE: New study finds sustainable living relies on stable personality traits, not temporary bursts of willpower

    URL: psypost.org/new-study-finds-su

    Recent research suggests that people who naturally possess higher levels of self-control tend to engage in more environmentally friendly habits over time. However, short-term changes in a person’s willpower do not directly lead to greener choices. These findings provide evidence that making sustainable choices easier, rather than relying on individual discipline, might be a more effective way to encourage eco-friendly habits. The study was published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

    Scientists conducted this study to better understand the psychological traits that drive people to protect the environment. Environmental challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss require immediate action from everyday people. Actions that reduce a person’s negative impact on the planet are known as pro-environmental behaviors. Taking these actions often requires individuals to override their immediate conveniences for the sake of long-term ecological goals.

    Pursuing these long-term goals requires a degree of self-regulation. Self-control is a specific and essential type of self-regulation. It involves managing internal reactions, delaying gratification, and resisting unwanted behavioral impulses. Previous research suggests that people with higher self-control tend to act more sustainably because they can keep long-term goals in mind.

    “The idea first struck me during a very ordinary moment,” said Jingguang Li, a professor of psychology at Dali University in China. “I had just finished a bottle of water and there was no recycling bin in sight. I felt the urge to simply discard it, but instead I held onto it until I found a proper disposal point.”

    “That minor internal struggle made me curious: do people with stronger self-control naturally gravitate toward greener choices in their daily lives?” Li said. His laboratory was already studying self-control, making the connection to everyday environmental behavior a natural extension of their work.

    Most previous studies on this topic relied on cross-sectional designs. A cross-sectional study looks at a group of people at a single point in time, much like a photograph. This makes it difficult to know the exact direction of the relationship between variables.

    “Previous studies found that more self-controlled people also report more sustainable habits, but almost all of that evidence came from cross-sectional surveys, single snapshots in time,” Li told PsyPost. “That leaves a crucial ambiguity: does the link simply reflect stable differences between people, or can a real change in self-control actually drive a change in behavior?”

    This single-snapshot approach also leaves room for survey bias. “Because both self-control and pro-environmental behavior are socially valued traits, respondents filling out a one-shot questionnaire tend to paint a consistently positive picture of themselves,” Li said. “If they rate themselves as highly disciplined, they often feel compelled to rate themselves as environmentally conscious too.”

    This bias can artificially inflate the correlation, making the two traits look more tightly linked than they truly are in daily life. “To get around both problems, we followed the same participants across multiple time points,” Li said. “Spacing out the measurements helps separate genuine directional effects from the bias of wanting to appear virtuous in a single sitting.”

    Longitudinal studies track the exact same individuals across multiple points in time. This allows scientists to see how changes in one trait might predict changes in another trait over months or years. The researchers specifically chose to study adolescents and young adults. Late adolescence and early adulthood are periods when individuals are still developing their self-regulation capacities and forming their long-term environmental habits.

    In the first study, the researchers recruited 221 high school students from a public school in China. The sample included about 66 percent female students with an average age of roughly 16 years old. The researchers assessed the students twice, with a full year passing between the first and second assessment waves. During each wave, the students filled out paper questionnaires in their classrooms while supervised by research assistants.

    To measure self-control, the scientists used a 13-item questionnaire. Students rated statements about their ability to resist temptation and their tendency to think before acting. To measure pro-environmental behavior, the students rated how often they engaged in specific green activities over the past 12 months. These activities included recycling cans, saving energy at home, or buying products in reusable containers.

    When analyzing the data, the scientists used a statistical technique called a cross-lagged panel model. This method looks at how a variable at the first time point predicts a different variable at the second time point. The findings of this first study showed that higher self-control at the start of the year predicted an increase in pro-environmental behaviors by the end of the year.

    The researchers conducted a second study to expand on these findings using a larger sample and a longer timeframe. The second study included 1286 university students from a single university in China. This group was about 63 percent female with an average age of roughly 19 years old. Instead of just two check-ins, the researchers tracked these students across three distinct waves, with exactly one year between each wave.

    Because the study spanned three full years, the scientists could use a more advanced statistical tool called a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model. This advanced statistical model separates the survey data into two different mathematical layers. The first layer looks at stable differences between different people. The second layer looks at temporary fluctuations within the exact same person.

    Separating these layers helps scientists avoid confusing a stable personality trait with a passing state of mind. At the stable, trait-like level, the researchers found a positive association between the two factors. Individuals who consistently showed higher self-control compared to their peers also consistently reported more sustainable behaviors. This suggests that self-control is a stable personal trait strongly linked to living a greener lifestyle.

    At the fluctuating, individual level, the data showed a different pattern. When a specific student experienced a natural drop or increase in their own typical self-control, it did not predict any subsequent change in their sustainable habits. This suggests that year-to-year shifts in a person’s willpower do not directly drive short-term changes in how they treat the environment.

    “We were genuinely surprised by what we found inside the same person over time,” Li said. “At the outset, we had assumed that if someone’s self-control improved, their pro-environmental behavior would improve with it. But when we tracked the same individuals across waves, natural fluctuations in self-control simply did not translate into meaningful shifts in pro-environmental behavior.”

    “The link is really anchored in stable, long-term trait differences,” Li continued. “It underscores that promoting sustainability requires more than urging people to ‘try harder’; we need to build habits and shape environments that make green choices effortless.”

    The results provide evidence that having greener habits is part of an overarching lifestyle rather than a fleeting mood. “The main message is that the connection between self-control and green behavior is primarily a stable trait-level pattern: people who generally have stronger self-control also tend to live more sustainably across time,” Li said. “Yet when we tracked the same individuals over multiple waves, short-term ups and downs in their self-control did not reliably produce immediate changes in their environmental habits.”

    “So it is not about heroic bursts of willpower in the moment; it is about who you are, on average, over the long haul,” Li added. “That distinction matters for everyday life. Sustainable living is really a marathon built from countless small decisions, turning off lights, carrying reusable bags, sorting waste, that add up over months and years.”

    This highlights the need for structural changes that make sustainable choices easier for everyone. “If we rely solely on asking people to ‘try harder’ each time, we are fighting an uphill battle against human nature,” Li said. “A smarter approach is to reduce the self-control demand itself. Putting reminder stickers near light switches, placing recycling bins in convenient locations, or sharing monthly electricity or water-use feedback with family members can make the green choice the easy choice.”

    Communities can also use nudging strategies to encourage green behaviors. Nudging involves designing choices in a way that guides people toward a desired action without restricting their freedom. Making recycling bins more accessible or automatically opting people into green energy plans reduces the amount of willpower needed to help the planet. “By designing environments and routines that minimize friction, we can promote sustainable actions without requiring constant mental effort,” Li said.

    The researchers also note that self-control could be used as a helpful metric when assembling teams to tackle climate issues. People with naturally high self-control might be better equipped to handle the long-term demands of environmental advocacy. “One final thought: when selecting people for roles with significant environmental responsibilities, it makes sense to weigh self-control alongside their environmental attitudes and professional competence,” Li said.

    The study does have a few limitations that should be noted. “We used self-report questionnaires and focused on Chinese high school and university students,” Li said. “That makes the findings suggestive rather than definitive. Future work should test whether the same pattern holds in other populations and with objective measures, such as actual behavioral tasks or real-world tracking, before drawing firmer conclusions.”

    In addition, the one-year gap between the data collection waves might have missed smaller, short-term connections between willpower and sustainable choices. A full year is a long time, and a person’s self-control might fluctuate on a daily or weekly basis.

    Going forward, the researchers plan to look at other psychological traits that support sustainable living. “Our next step is to understand why some people follow through on environmental intentions while others do not,” Li said. “We are especially interested in grit, passion and perseverance for long-term goals, because environmental protection is not a one-off act; it is a decades-long commitment.”

    “The Paris Agreement, for instance, sets carbon-neutrality targets for the mid-twenty-first century, a timeline that feels distant to most people alive today,” Li noted. “That means safeguarding the planet demands sustained effort against slow, incremental payoffs, exactly the conditions where grit should matter.”

    The scientists hope to figure out exactly how to foster this type of long-term dedication. “We want to test whether grit and related traits can help explain who stays the course in the face of such delayed rewards, and whether we can design interventions or educational programs that cultivate this kind of persistence for ecological goals,” Li said.

    The study, “Longitudinal associations between self-control and pro-environmental behaviors,” was authored by Xingbo Wang, Yanru Liu, Yalun Zhang, Zhenglian Su, Liyun Hua, Yajun Zhao, and Jingguang Li.

    URL: psypost.org/new-study-finds-su

    -------------------------------------------------

    DAILY EMAIL DIGEST: Email [email protected] -- no subject or message needed.

    Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: clinicians-exchange.org

    Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

    NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot

    Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: nationalpsychologist.com

    EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: subscribe-article-digests.clin

    READ ONLINE: read-the-rss-mega-archive.clin

    It's primitive... but it works... mostly...

    -------------------------------------------------

    #psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #SelfControl #ProEnvironmentalBehavior #SustainableLiving #EnvironmentalPsychology #HabitFormation #GreenerChoices #Nudging #EcoFriendlyHabits #LongitudinalStudy #ClimateAction

  4. Discipline creates freedom because it gives you control over your time, habits, money, focus, and future.

    Most people think discipline is restrictive, but the lack of discipline is what creates stress, chaos, distraction, debt, and feeling stuck.

    Real freedom comes from building habits that give your life direction.

    The INFJ Lens | Daily clarity for those who see the world differently.

    #TheINFJLens #Discipline #SelfControl #MindsetShift #PersonalGrowth

  5. Spiritual maturity vs emotional reactivity is really about whether you’re led by impulse or by awareness. Emotional reactivity takes over quickly, while spiritual maturity creates space to respond with wisdom, patience, and love—choosing growth over impulse in every moment.

    #SpiritualMaturity #EmotionalGrowth #SelfControl #InnerHealing #FaithJourney #MindfulLiving

  6. A quotation from Horace

    The Rash, the Lazy, Lover, none’s so wild,
    But may be tame, and may be wisely mild,
    If they consult true Vertue’s Rules with care,
    And lend to good advice a patient ear.
     
    [Invidus, iracundus, iners, vinosus, amator,
    nemo adeo ferus est, ut non mitescere possit,
    si modo culturae patientem commodet aurem.]

    Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
    Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 1, ep. 1 “To Maecenas,” l. 38ff (1.1.38-40) (20 BC) [tr. Creech (1684)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/horace/78567/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #horace #advice #anger #brutality #character #coarseness #culture #degradation #drunkenness #envy #faults #gluttony #lust #moralcharacter #norms #reform #rehabilitation #selfcontrol #selfimprovement #sloth #society #temperament #vice #virtue #wisdom #wrath

  7. A quotation from Horace

    The Rash, the Lazy, Lover, none’s so wild,
    But may be tame, and may be wisely mild,
    If they consult true Vertue’s Rules with care,
    And lend to good advice a patient ear.
     
    [Invidus, iracundus, iners, vinosus, amator,
    nemo adeo ferus est, ut non mitescere possit,
    si modo culturae patientem commodet aurem.]

    Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
    Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 1, ep. 1 “To Maecenas,” l. 38ff (1.1.38-40) (20 BC) [tr. Creech (1684)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/horace/78567/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #horace #advice #anger #brutality #character #coarseness #culture #degradation #drunkenness #envy #faults #gluttony #lust #moralcharacter #norms #reform #rehabilitation #selfcontrol #selfimprovement #sloth #society #temperament #vice #virtue #wisdom #wrath

  8. A quotation from Horace

    The Rash, the Lazy, Lover, none’s so wild,
    But may be tame, and may be wisely mild,
    If they consult true Vertue’s Rules with care,
    And lend to good advice a patient ear.
     
    [Invidus, iracundus, iners, vinosus, amator,
    nemo adeo ferus est, ut non mitescere possit,
    si modo culturae patientem commodet aurem.]

    Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
    Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 1, ep. 1 “To Maecenas,” l. 38ff (1.1.38-40) (20 BC) [tr. Creech (1684)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/horace/78567/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #horace #advice #anger #brutality #character #coarseness #culture #degradation #drunkenness #envy #faults #gluttony #lust #moralcharacter #norms #reform #rehabilitation #selfcontrol #selfimprovement #sloth #society #temperament #vice #virtue #wisdom #wrath

  9. A quotation from Horace

    The Rash, the Lazy, Lover, none’s so wild,
    But may be tame, and may be wisely mild,
    If they consult true Vertue’s Rules with care,
    And lend to good advice a patient ear.
     
    [Invidus, iracundus, iners, vinosus, amator,
    nemo adeo ferus est, ut non mitescere possit,
    si modo culturae patientem commodet aurem.]

    Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
    Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 1, ep. 1 “To Maecenas,” l. 38ff (1.1.38-40) (20 BC) [tr. Creech (1684)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/horace/78567/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #horace #advice #anger #brutality #character #coarseness #culture #degradation #drunkenness #envy #faults #gluttony #lust #moralcharacter #norms #reform #rehabilitation #selfcontrol #selfimprovement #sloth #society #temperament #vice #virtue #wisdom #wrath

  10. A quotation from Gracian

    Say farewell to luck when winning: it is the way of the gamblers of reputation: quite as important as a gallant advance is a well-planned retreat, wherefore lock up your winnings when they are enough, or when great.
     
    [Saberse dejar ganando con la fortuna. Es de tahúres de reputación. Tanto importa una bella retirada como una bizarra acometida; un poner en cobro las hazañas cuando fueren bastantes, cuando muchas.]

    Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601-1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
    The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 38 (1647) [tr. Fischer (1937)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/gracian-y-morales-ba…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #gracian #chance #fortune #gambling #luck #quit #retreat #selfcontrol #selfdiscipline #sufficiency #walkaway #winning #withdrawal #enterprise #attack

  11. A quotation from Gracian

    Say farewell to luck when winning: it is the way of the gamblers of reputation: quite as important as a gallant advance is a well-planned retreat, wherefore lock up your winnings when they are enough, or when great.
     
    [Saberse dejar ganando con la fortuna. Es de tahúres de reputación. Tanto importa una bella retirada como una bizarra acometida; un poner en cobro las hazañas cuando fueren bastantes, cuando muchas.]

    Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601-1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
    The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 38 (1647) [tr. Fischer (1937)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/gracian-y-morales-ba…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #gracian #chance #fortune #gambling #luck #quit #retreat #selfcontrol #selfdiscipline #sufficiency #walkaway #winning #withdrawal #enterprise #attack

  12. A quotation from Gracian

    Say farewell to luck when winning: it is the way of the gamblers of reputation: quite as important as a gallant advance is a well-planned retreat, wherefore lock up your winnings when they are enough, or when great.
     
    [Saberse dejar ganando con la fortuna. Es de tahúres de reputación. Tanto importa una bella retirada como una bizarra acometida; un poner en cobro las hazañas cuando fueren bastantes, cuando muchas.]

    Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601-1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
    The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 38 (1647) [tr. Fischer (1937)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/gracian-y-morales-ba…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #gracian #chance #fortune #gambling #luck #quit #retreat #selfcontrol #selfdiscipline #sufficiency #walkaway #winning #withdrawal #enterprise #attack

  13. A quotation from Gracian

    Say farewell to luck when winning: it is the way of the gamblers of reputation: quite as important as a gallant advance is a well-planned retreat, wherefore lock up your winnings when they are enough, or when great.
     
    [Saberse dejar ganando con la fortuna. Es de tahúres de reputación. Tanto importa una bella retirada como una bizarra acometida; un poner en cobro las hazañas cuando fueren bastantes, cuando muchas.]

    Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601-1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
    The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 38 (1647) [tr. Fischer (1937)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/gracian-y-morales-ba…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #gracian #chance #fortune #gambling #luck #quit #retreat #selfcontrol #selfdiscipline #sufficiency #walkaway #winning #withdrawal #enterprise #attack

  14. A quotation from Marcus Aurelius

    The hour for your departure draws near; if you will but forget all else and pay sole regard to the helmsman of your soul and the divine spark within you — if you will but exchange your fear of having to end your life some day for a fear of failing even to begin it on nature’s true principles — you can yet become a man, worthy of the universe that gave you birth, instead of a stranger in your own homeland, bewildered by each day’s happenings as though by wonders unlooked for, and ever hanging upon this one or the next.
     
    [ἐὰν οὖν, ὅτε δήποτε πρὸς ἐξόδῳ γένῃ, πάντα τὰ ἄλλα καταλιπὼν μόνον τὸ ἡγεμονικόν σου καὶ τὸ ἐν σοὶ θεῖον τιμήσῃς καὶ μὴ τὸ παύσεσθαί ποτε ῾τοὖ ζῆν φοβηθῇς, ἀλλὰ τό γε μηδέποτε ἄρξασθαι κατὰ φύσιν ζῆν, ἔσῃ ἄνθρωπος ἄξιος τοῦ γεννήσαντος κόσμου καὶ παύσῃ ξένος ὢν τῆς πατρίδος καὶ θαυμάζων ὡς ἀπροσδόκητα τὰ καθ̓ ἡμέραν γινόμενα καὶ κρεμάμενος ἐκ τοῦδε καὶ τοῦδε.]

    Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) Roman emperor (161-180), Stoic philosopher
    Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 12, ch. 1 (12.1) (AD 161-180) [tr. Staniforth (1964)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/marcus-aureleus/8326…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #marcusaurelius #marcusaureliusmeditations #acceptance #death #dying #life #living #meaningoflife #mortality #selfcontrol #stoicism

  15. A quotation from Marcus Aurelius

    The hour for your departure draws near; if you will but forget all else and pay sole regard to the helmsman of your soul and the divine spark within you — if you will but exchange your fear of having to end your life some day for a fear of failing even to begin it on nature’s true principles — you can yet become a man, worthy of the universe that gave you birth, instead of a stranger in your own homeland, bewildered by each day’s happenings as though by wonders unlooked for, and ever hanging upon this one or the next.
     
    [ἐὰν οὖν, ὅτε δήποτε πρὸς ἐξόδῳ γένῃ, πάντα τὰ ἄλλα καταλιπὼν μόνον τὸ ἡγεμονικόν σου καὶ τὸ ἐν σοὶ θεῖον τιμήσῃς καὶ μὴ τὸ παύσεσθαί ποτε ῾τοὖ ζῆν φοβηθῇς, ἀλλὰ τό γε μηδέποτε ἄρξασθαι κατὰ φύσιν ζῆν, ἔσῃ ἄνθρωπος ἄξιος τοῦ γεννήσαντος κόσμου καὶ παύσῃ ξένος ὢν τῆς πατρίδος καὶ θαυμάζων ὡς ἀπροσδόκητα τὰ καθ̓ ἡμέραν γινόμενα καὶ κρεμάμενος ἐκ τοῦδε καὶ τοῦδε.]

    Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) Roman emperor (161-180), Stoic philosopher
    Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 12, ch. 1 (12.1) (AD 161-180) [tr. Staniforth (1964)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/marcus-aureleus/8326…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #marcusaurelius #marcusaureliusmeditations #acceptance #death #dying #life #living #meaningoflife #mortality #selfcontrol #stoicism

  16. A quotation from Marcus Aurelius

    The hour for your departure draws near; if you will but forget all else and pay sole regard to the helmsman of your soul and the divine spark within you — if you will but exchange your fear of having to end your life some day for a fear of failing even to begin it on nature’s true principles — you can yet become a man, worthy of the universe that gave you birth, instead of a stranger in your own homeland, bewildered by each day’s happenings as though by wonders unlooked for, and ever hanging upon this one or the next.
     
    [ἐὰν οὖν, ὅτε δήποτε πρὸς ἐξόδῳ γένῃ, πάντα τὰ ἄλλα καταλιπὼν μόνον τὸ ἡγεμονικόν σου καὶ τὸ ἐν σοὶ θεῖον τιμήσῃς καὶ μὴ τὸ παύσεσθαί ποτε ῾τοὖ ζῆν φοβηθῇς, ἀλλὰ τό γε μηδέποτε ἄρξασθαι κατὰ φύσιν ζῆν, ἔσῃ ἄνθρωπος ἄξιος τοῦ γεννήσαντος κόσμου καὶ παύσῃ ξένος ὢν τῆς πατρίδος καὶ θαυμάζων ὡς ἀπροσδόκητα τὰ καθ̓ ἡμέραν γινόμενα καὶ κρεμάμενος ἐκ τοῦδε καὶ τοῦδε.]

    Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) Roman emperor (161-180), Stoic philosopher
    Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 12, ch. 1 (12.1) (AD 161-180) [tr. Staniforth (1964)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/marcus-aureleus/8326…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #marcusaurelius #marcusaureliusmeditations #acceptance #death #dying #life #living #meaningoflife #mortality #selfcontrol #stoicism

  17. A quotation from Marcus Aurelius

    The hour for your departure draws near; if you will but forget all else and pay sole regard to the helmsman of your soul and the divine spark within you — if you will but exchange your fear of having to end your life some day for a fear of failing even to begin it on nature’s true principles — you can yet become a man, worthy of the universe that gave you birth, instead of a stranger in your own homeland, bewildered by each day’s happenings as though by wonders unlooked for, and ever hanging upon this one or the next.
     
    [ἐὰν οὖν, ὅτε δήποτε πρὸς ἐξόδῳ γένῃ, πάντα τὰ ἄλλα καταλιπὼν μόνον τὸ ἡγεμονικόν σου καὶ τὸ ἐν σοὶ θεῖον τιμήσῃς καὶ μὴ τὸ παύσεσθαί ποτε ῾τοὖ ζῆν φοβηθῇς, ἀλλὰ τό γε μηδέποτε ἄρξασθαι κατὰ φύσιν ζῆν, ἔσῃ ἄνθρωπος ἄξιος τοῦ γεννήσαντος κόσμου καὶ παύσῃ ξένος ὢν τῆς πατρίδος καὶ θαυμάζων ὡς ἀπροσδόκητα τὰ καθ̓ ἡμέραν γινόμενα καὶ κρεμάμενος ἐκ τοῦδε καὶ τοῦδε.]

    Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) Roman emperor (161-180), Stoic philosopher
    Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 12, ch. 1 (12.1) (AD 161-180) [tr. Staniforth (1964)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/marcus-aureleus/8326…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #marcusaurelius #marcusaureliusmeditations #acceptance #death #dying #life #living #meaningoflife #mortality #selfcontrol #stoicism

  18. A quotation from Teddy Roosevelt

    There were all kinds of things of which I was afraid at first, from grizzly bears to “mean” horses and gunfighters, but by acting as if I was not afraid, I gradually ceased to be afraid.

    Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, statesman, conservationist, writer, US President (1901–1909)
    Autobiography, ch. 2 “The Vigor of Life” (1913)

    More about this quote: wist.info/roosevelt-theodore/1…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #teddyroosevelt #theodoreroosevelt #acting #afraid #bravery #courage #fear #fearlessness #habit #pretending #pretense #scare #selfcontrol #selfdiscipline

  19. A quotation from Teddy Roosevelt

    There were all kinds of things of which I was afraid at first, from grizzly bears to “mean” horses and gunfighters, but by acting as if I was not afraid, I gradually ceased to be afraid.

    Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, statesman, conservationist, writer, US President (1901–1909)
    Autobiography, ch. 2 “The Vigor of Life” (1913)

    More about this quote: wist.info/roosevelt-theodore/1…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #teddyroosevelt #theodoreroosevelt #acting #afraid #bravery #courage #fear #fearlessness #habit #pretending #pretense #scare #selfcontrol #selfdiscipline

  20. A quotation from Teddy Roosevelt

    There were all kinds of things of which I was afraid at first, from grizzly bears to “mean” horses and gunfighters, but by acting as if I was not afraid, I gradually ceased to be afraid.

    Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, statesman, conservationist, writer, US President (1901–1909)
    Autobiography, ch. 2 “The Vigor of Life” (1913)

    More about this quote: wist.info/roosevelt-theodore/1…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #teddyroosevelt #theodoreroosevelt #acting #afraid #bravery #courage #fear #fearlessness #habit #pretending #pretense #scare #selfcontrol #selfdiscipline

  21. A quotation from Teddy Roosevelt

    There were all kinds of things of which I was afraid at first, from grizzly bears to “mean” horses and gunfighters, but by acting as if I was not afraid, I gradually ceased to be afraid.

    Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, statesman, conservationist, writer, US President (1901–1909)
    Autobiography, ch. 2 “The Vigor of Life” (1913)

    More about this quote: wist.info/roosevelt-theodore/1…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #teddyroosevelt #theodoreroosevelt #acting #afraid #bravery #courage #fear #fearlessness #habit #pretending #pretense #scare #selfcontrol #selfdiscipline

  22. A quotation from Teddy Roosevelt

    There were all kinds of things of which I was afraid at first, from grizzly bears to “mean” horses and gunfighters, but by acting as if I was not afraid, I gradually ceased to be afraid.

    Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, statesman, conservationist, writer, US President (1901–1909)
    Autobiography, ch. 2 “The Vigor of Life” (1913)

    More about this quote: wist.info/roosevelt-theodore/1…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #teddyroosevelt #theodoreroosevelt #acting #afraid #bravery #courage #fear #fearlessness #habit #pretending #pretense #scare #selfcontrol #selfdiscipline

  23. A quotation from Marcus Aurelius

    There is a doom inexorable and a law inviolable, or there is a providence that can be merciful, or else there is a chaos that is purposeless and ungoverned. If a resistless fate, why try to struggle against it? If a providence willing to show mercy, do your best to deserve its divine succour. If a chaos undirected, give thanks that amid such stormy seas you have within you a mind at the helm.
     
    [Ἤτοι ἀνάγκη εἱμαρμένης καὶ ἀπαράβατος τάξις ἢ πρόνοια ἱλάσιμος ἢ φυρμὸς εἰκαιότητος ἀπροστάτητος. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἀπαράβατος ἀνάγκη, τί ἀντιτείνεις; εἰ δὲ πρόνοια ἐπιδεχομένη τὸ ἱλάσκεσθαι, ἄξιον σαυτὸν ποίησον τῆς ἐκ τοῦ θείου βοηθείας. εἰ δὲ φυρμὸς ἀνηγεμόνευτος, ἀσμένιζε ὅτι ἐν τοιούτῳ κλύδωνι αὐτὸς ἔχεις ἐν σαυτῷ τινα νοῦν ἡγεμονικόν.]

    Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) Roman emperor (161-180), Stoic philosopher
    Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 12, ch. 14 (12.14) (AD 161-180) [tr. Staniforth (1964)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/marcus-aureleus/2068…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #marcusaurelius #marcusaureliusmeditations #adaptability #chaos #destiny #doom #fate #getalong #God #inevitability #intelligence #meaningoflife #mind #order #prayer #predestination #providence #selfcontrol #universe #world #worthiness

  24. A quotation from Hannah Arendt

    The emotions I feel are no more meant to be shown in their unadulterated state than the inner organs by which we live.

    Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) German-American philosopher, political theorist
    Life of the Mind, Vol. 1, Part 1, ch. 4 “Body and soul; soul and mind” (1977)

    More about this quote: wist.info/arendt-hannah/44578/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #hannaharendt #appearance #emotion #expression #filter #presentation #selfexpression #selfcontrol

  25. A quotation from Hannah Arendt

    The emotions I feel are no more meant to be shown in their unadulterated state than the inner organs by which we live.

    Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) German-American philosopher, political theorist
    Life of the Mind, Vol. 1, Part 1, ch. 4 “Body and soul; soul and mind” (1977)

    More about this quote: wist.info/arendt-hannah/44578/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #hannaharendt #appearance #emotion #expression #filter #presentation #selfexpression #selfcontrol

  26. A quotation from Hannah Arendt

    The emotions I feel are no more meant to be shown in their unadulterated state than the inner organs by which we live.

    Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) German-American philosopher, political theorist
    Life of the Mind, Vol. 1, Part 1, ch. 4 “Body and soul; soul and mind” (1977)

    More about this quote: wist.info/arendt-hannah/44578/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #hannaharendt #appearance #emotion #expression #filter #presentation #selfexpression #selfcontrol

  27. A quotation from Hannah Arendt

    The emotions I feel are no more meant to be shown in their unadulterated state than the inner organs by which we live.

    Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) German-American philosopher, political theorist
    Life of the Mind, Vol. 1, Part 1, ch. 4 “Body and soul; soul and mind” (1977)

    More about this quote: wist.info/arendt-hannah/44578/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #hannaharendt #appearance #emotion #expression #filter #presentation #selfexpression #selfcontrol

  28. A quotation from Hannah Arendt

    The emotions I feel are no more meant to be shown in their unadulterated state than the inner organs by which we live.

    Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) German-American philosopher, political theorist
    Life of the Mind, Vol. 1, Part 1, ch. 4 “Body and soul; soul and mind” (1977)

    More about this quote: wist.info/arendt-hannah/44578/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #hannaharendt #appearance #emotion #expression #filter #presentation #selfexpression #selfcontrol

  29. Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control "We must master ourselves unless we'd prefer to be mastered by someone or something else." Sale: $27 to $1.99 by Ryan Holiday Rating: 4.7/5 (5,624 Reviews) #Stoicism #Discipline #SelfControl #Books #Philosophy #History #Motivation #BookSky

    Discipline Is Destiny: The Pow...

  30. Control the 4 M’s — Control Your Life.

    Mouth – Speak less. Speak power.
    Money – Spend smart. Invest wiser.
    Mind – Guard your thoughts.
    Mood – Master your emotions.

    Weak men react.
    Strong men regulate.

    Master the 4 M’s… and you master yourself.

    👉 Read more here: wisdomtheory.gumroad.com/l/100

    #SelfControl #Discipline #Mindset #PersonalGrowth #LevelUp #MensGrowth #SuccessHabits

  31. A quotation from The Bible

    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this.
     
    [Ὁ δὲ καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματός ἐστιν ἀγάπη χαρὰ εἰρήνη, μακροθυμία χρηστότης ἀγαθωσύνη, πίστις πραΰτης ἐγκράτεια· κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἔστιν νόμος.]

    The Bible (The New Testament) (AD 1st - 2nd C) Christian sacred scripture
    Galatians 5: 22-23 [CEB (2011)]

    More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/bible-nt/81955/

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #bible #newtestament #galatians #Christianity #faithfulness #gentleness #goodness #HolySpirit #humility #joy #kindness #love #patience #peace #selfcontrol #trust #virtue

  32. Relishing life at 1x

    Life happens at 1x. Every conversation you’ve ever had. Every walk, every meal, every meaningful experience. None of it comes with a speed dial. We’re biological creatures wired for real-time processing. When someone speaks to you in person, you don’t get to fast-forward through the parts you find boring.

    Life Happens at 1x Speed – Terrible Software

    https://terriblesoftware.org/2026/01/08/life-happens-at-1x-speed/

    Rest helps muscles grow. Boredom cements knowledge.

    We live in a period of unlimited content with every incentive to create even more. So, how did I think the solution to it was – more. It’s likely because it was easier to do more than do the harder work of choosing what is worth listening to, watching, doing?

    Upon introspection, I was using my Youtube playlist and podcasts as entertainment. Yet, I chose to make that more efficient.

    I have rationalized entertainment as information. I’ve put a “productive” spin to it. I came to a similar conclusion in yesterday’s post where I do need to reclaim my screen.

    I listen to a lot of technology, photography, music videos and podcasts and prima facie, they are all informational. However, I fell into the trap of confusing “consumption” as “creation”.

    Another example. I am learning about dynamic symmetry to improve my composition.

    I’ve taken 20 photos after learning about dynamic symmetry.

    I also created a playlist of different people talking about dynamic symmetry.

    Instead of choosing a video to help me improve what I’ve practiced. I am convincing myself that entertaining videos, rationalized as information is giving me the same satisfaction of the act of doing.

    Listening to stuff in 2x is adding the fallacy of efficiency to this mix.

    The absurdity is hilarious.

    So:

    I will search instead of feed.

    I will choose instead of accept.

    I will practice instead of consume.

    ymmv.

    #boredom #control #Life #neuroscience #philosophy #selfControl
  33. @samuelpepys

    "How time and example may alter a man: he being now acquainted with all sorts of pleasures and vanities which heretofore he never thought of or loved, nor has allowed."

    Samuel, you are a good man. You gladly share with us (*) how you take childlike pride in new posessions, and how you love indulging your interests; but you also know the importance of steering the ship, not letting it drift.

    You understand the dangers and your aim is to manage them, not to taboo them. You are the pleasure-allowing Puritan, the pre-modern modern.

    (*) Your diary entries are of course toots for us.

    #Pepys #SelfControl #CGJung #Individuation

  34. @samuelpepys

    "How time and example may alter a man: he being now acquainted with all sorts of pleasures and vanities which heretofore he never thought of or loved, nor has allowed."

    Samuel, you are a good man. You gladly share with us (*) how you take childlike pride in new posessions, and how you love indulging your interests; but you also know the importance of steering the ship, not letting it drift.

    You understand the dangers and your aim is to manage them, not to taboo them. You are the pleasure-allowing Puritan, the pre-modern modern.

    (*) Your diary entries are of course toots for us.

    #Pepys #SelfControl #CGJung #Individuation

  35. @samuelpepys

    "How time and example may alter a man: he being now acquainted with all sorts of pleasures and vanities which heretofore he never thought of or loved, nor has allowed."

    Samuel, you are a good man. You gladly share with us (*) how you take childlike pride in new posessions, and how you love indulging your interests; but you also know the importance of steering the ship, not letting it drift.

    You understand the dangers and your aim is to manage them, not to taboo them. You are the pleasure-allowing Puritan, the pre-modern modern.

    (*) Your diary entries are of course toots for us.

    #Pepys #SelfControl #CGJung #Individuation