Reducing self-control by weakening belief in free will

Consciousness and Cognition
Davide RigoniMarcel Brass

Abstract

Believing in free will may arise from a biological need for control. People induced to disbelieve in free will show impulsive and antisocial tendencies, suggesting a reduction of the willingness to exert self-control. We investigated whether undermining free will affects two aspects of self-control: intentional inhibition and perceived self-control. We exposed participants either to anti-free will or to neutral messages. The two groups (no-free will and control) then performed a task that required self-control to inhibit a prepotent response. No-free will participants showed less intentional inhibitions than controls, suggesting a reduction of self-control. We assessed perceived self-control by asking participants whether the response resulted from a deliberate intention or from an impulsive reaction. Perceived self-control was lower in the no-free will group than in control group. Our findings show that undermining free will can degrade self-control and provide insights into how disbelieving in free will leads to antisocial tendencies.

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Citations

Mar 22, 2013·Experimental Brain Research·Marcel BrassDavide Rigoni
Mar 14, 2014·PloS One·Xian ZhaoZhen-wei Huang
Jun 24, 2015·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Joshua J ClarksonChristopher Leone
Apr 17, 2015·Consciousness and Cognition·Jonathan Davidov, Zvi Eisikovits
Feb 25, 2014·Consciousness and Cognition·Thomas NadelhofferLisa Thomson Ross
May 21, 2014·Consciousness and Cognition·Andrew E MonroeBertram F Malle
Jan 8, 2015·Frontiers in Psychology·Margaret T LynnMarcel Brass
May 6, 2014·Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience·Davide RigoniMarcel Brass
May 6, 2016·Consciousness and Cognition·Davide RigoniMarcel Brass
Sep 28, 2016·Consciousness and Cognition·Jordane BoudesseulLaurent Bègue
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May 26, 2017·Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics : CQ : the International Journal of Healthcare Ethics Committees·Vojin Rakić
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Sep 1, 2017·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Oliver GenschowMarcel Brass
Nov 1, 2017·Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy·Vojin Rakić
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Jan 15, 2021·Consciousness and Cognition·Oliver Genschow, Benjamin Vehlow
Mar 18, 2021·Systematic Reviews·Maria E Moreira-de-OliveiraLeonardo F Fontenelle

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