Can self-control make you happy?

Abstract

The relationship between self-control and happiness is often considered antithetical because self-control would require effortful discipline precluding the experience of pleasure. However, recent research reveals a robust (but moderate) association with all parameters that are seen as relevant in happiness research: satisfaction with life, positive affect, and the experience of meaning in life. Factors moderating this relationship suggest a significant role for strategies that are employed during the early stages of a self-control conflict and, to a lesser extent, making (some) progress towards one's goals. Together, this calls for a different understanding of self-control with more emphasis on adaptive routines and strategically avoiding conflicts which, in turn, leaves more room for attending to what one finds important in life.