Justified indulgence: The effects of self-licensing on self-regulation over time

Goal violations are often explained in terms of not being able to resist temptations. However, rather than being unable, people may sometimes deliberately choose to temporarily abandon their goals by employing licenses that justify this discrepant behavior. This is referred to as self-licensing, and is driven by self-regulation dilemmas between acting on temptation for immediate gratification (e.g., indulging in tasty foods) and behaving wisely to secure long-term interests (e.g., weight control). At first sight it seems that self-licensing harms successful goal pursuit, as it makes it easier to choose the indulgent yet ill-advised option. However, to establish whether such justification processes are ultimately harmful or beneficial in the long run, the effects of self-licensing on the ability to deal with repeated confrontations with temptations need to be examined. Especially because theoretically, reliance on self-licensing might go either way and either impair or promote subsequent attempts at self-regulation. Therefore, the overall objective of the present dissertation was to explore whether self-licensing has potential benefits for self-regulation over time. A series of empirical studies was conducted to address the research aims resulting from this objective: (1) to corroborate the observation that self-licensing results in immediate self-regulation failure; (2) to examine what happens next by examining subsequent handling of temptations after an initial (un)justified moment of failure; and (3) to see whether distinct ways of self-licensing can be identified that are either helpful or harmful for self-regulation in the long run. As expected, self-licensing was found to stimulate initial self-regulation failure, as corroborated by both lab and field experiments. However, subsequent goal re-engagement was observed in a momentary assessment study. In this latter study and two vignette studies it was also observed that self-licensing can safeguard perceived self-regulatory ability after indulgent moments. In addition, a snack diary study revealed that whether self-licensing supports successful self-regulation in the long run is probably dependent on the distinct way that individuals justify indulgence (i.e., functional or dysfunctional). Altogether, these findings suggest that there is indeed a positive side to self-licensing that becomes apparent when the focus shifts from immediate self-regulation failure to enduring successful self-regulation. Besides extending self-licensing theory by adding predictions about more long-term outcomes, the obtained insights might inspire new approaches and guide the development of behavior change techniques to deal with unsuccessful self-regulation

Justified indulgence: self-licensing effects on caloric consumption

Objective: Research on self-licensing, i.e. employing justifications to give into temptation, largely consists of studies examining dichotomous food choices (healthy vs. unhealthy), while evidence for its effects on how much (unhealthy) food is consumed remains scarce. The present studies aimed to demonstrate self-licensing effects on caloric consumption in both lab (Study 1 & 2) and field setting (Study 3). Design: In all studies, female student samples were recruited. They either received a justification cue (license condition) or not (control condition), after which they could eat freely from unhealthy snacks (Study 1, N = 85 and Study 2, N = 95) or choose a snack for direct consumption at a take-out lunch place (Study 3, N = 110). Main outcome measures: Caloric value of consumed snacks (Study 1 and 2) and chosen snack (Study 3). Results: In all studies, caloric consumption was higher in the license condition compared to the control condition: Participants ate more of the provided unhealthy snacks (Study 1 and 2) and chose a snack of higher caloric value (Study 3). Conclusions: The present research corroborates self-licensing as an important factor in the consumption of unhealthy foods by employing more ecologically valid outcomes

Justified indulgence: The effects of self-licensing on self-regulation over time

Goal violations are often explained in terms of not being able to resist temptations. However, rather than being unable, people may sometimes deliberately choose to temporarily abandon their goals by employing licenses that justify this discrepant behavior. This is referred to as self-licensing, and is driven by self-regulation dilemmas between acting on temptation for immediate gratification (e.g., indulging in tasty foods) and behaving wisely to secure long-term interests (e.g., weight control). At first sight it seems that self-licensing harms successful goal pursuit, as it makes it easier to choose the indulgent yet ill-advised option. However, to establish whether such justification processes are ultimately harmful or beneficial in the long run, the effects of self-licensing on the ability to deal with repeated confrontations with temptations need to be examined. Especially because theoretically, reliance on self-licensing might go either way and either impair or promote subsequent attempts at self-regulation. Therefore, the overall objective of the present dissertation was to explore whether self-licensing has potential benefits for self-regulation over time. A series of empirical studies was conducted to address the research aims resulting from this objective: (1) to corroborate the observation that self-licensing results in immediate self-regulation failure; (2) to examine what happens next by examining subsequent handling of temptations after an initial (un)justified moment of failure; and (3) to see whether distinct ways of self-licensing can be identified that are either helpful or harmful for self-regulation in the long run. As expected, self-licensing was found to stimulate initial self-regulation failure, as corroborated by both lab and field experiments. However, subsequent goal re-engagement was observed in a momentary assessment study. In this latter study and two vignette studies it was also observed that self-licensing can safeguard perceived self-regulatory ability after indulgent moments. In addition, a snack diary study revealed that whether self-licensing supports successful self-regulation in the long run is probably dependent on the distinct way that individuals justify indulgence (i.e., functional or dysfunctional). Altogether, these findings suggest that there is indeed a positive side to self-licensing that becomes apparent when the focus shifts from immediate self-regulation failure to enduring successful self-regulation. Besides extending self-licensing theory by adding predictions about more long-term outcomes, the obtained insights might inspire new approaches and guide the development of behavior change techniques to deal with unsuccessful self-regulation

Justified indulgence: self-licensing effects on caloric consumption

Objective: Research on self-licensing, i.e. employing justifications to give into temptation, largely consists of studies examining dichotomous food choices (healthy vs. unhealthy), while evidence for its effects on how much (unhealthy) food is consumed remains scarce. The present studies aimed to demonstrate self-licensing effects on caloric consumption in both lab (Study 1 & 2) and field setting (Study 3). Design: In all studies, female student samples were recruited. They either received a justification cue (license condition) or not (control condition), after which they could eat freely from unhealthy snacks (Study 1, N = 85 and Study 2, N = 95) or choose a snack for direct consumption at a take-out lunch place (Study 3, N = 110). Main outcome measures: Caloric value of consumed snacks (Study 1 and 2) and chosen snack (Study 3). Results: In all studies, caloric consumption was higher in the license condition compared to the control condition: Participants ate more of the provided unhealthy snacks (Study 1 and 2) and chose a snack of higher caloric value (Study 3). Conclusions: The present research corroborates self-licensing as an important factor in the consumption of unhealthy foods by employing more ecologically valid outcomes

Introducing functional and dysfunctional self-licensing: Associations with indices of (un)successful dietary regulation

Objective Giving in to food temptations is typically labeled as self-regulation failure. However, when indulgence stems from self-licensing processes, that is, relying on reasons to justify diet deviations, these instances might actually promote successful goal striving. This research aimed to theoretically define and test under what conditions self-licensing would be considered functional (e.g., when it ultimately serves the long-term goal of weight control) and dysfunctional (e.g., when it threatens successful goal striving). Method First, a pool of items reflecting functional and dysfunctional ways of self-licensing was tested and representative items were selected (Study 1; N = 194). Next, their classification was corroborated by examining the associations with indices of (un)successful dietary regulation (Study 2; N = 147). Finally, it was tested whether (dys)functional self-licensing predicted unhealthy snack intake, by means of participants keeping an unhealthy snack diary (Study 3; N = 54). Results The theorized distinction was confirmed, and the obtained correlational patterns supported the proposed (dys)functionality of the two types of self-licensing. Importantly, results showed that dysfunctional self-licensing predicted higher snack intake, whereas functional self-licensing predicted lower snack intake. Conclusion The present studies provide evidence for the existence of two types of self-licensing, and thereby contribute to theoretical development