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Temporal discounting is one mechanism related to self-regulation. It’s the degree to which you favor small immediate rewards over larger future rewards. In other words, is eating that cheeseburger now, instead of a salad, the best choice? Or would your “future self” choose a healthier option?
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Temporal discounting can be measured with a computerized economic choice task that assesses the degree to which you favor smaller rewards now versus larger rewards in the future.
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Change the tendency to "discount” (not value) the future as much as the present. Interventions like Episodic Future Thinking ask you to think about future events in specific and detailed ways.
If reduced discounting of the future after Episodic Future Thinking is related to a health behavior – such as healthy eating or medication adherence – then we have identified a mechanism underlying successful behavior change.
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Physiological stress reactivity is one way that your body indicates that you are feeling stressed. Heart rate, skin conductance response, and startle response are all physiological indicators.
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Physiological stress reactivity can be measured with an ECG that records your heart rate response before, during, and after stress.
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Change the way your heart rate responds to stress. Interventions like meditation teach you to be more mindful. If lowered heart rate in response to stress after meditation is related to a health behavior – such as healthy eating or medication adherence – then we have identified a mechanism underlying successful behavior change.
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Emotional responses are one way to determine how you have been affected by interpersonal interactions. Feeling angry, happy, or sad after a social interaction may make you more or less likely to engage in healthy behaviors.
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Emotional responses to interpersonal interactions can be measured by asking romantic partners to rate their anger levels during a couple interaction.
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Change the degree of anger you feel in response to your partner. Interventions like cognitive restructuring teach you to reattribute causes of your partner’s behavior. If reduced anger during a couple interaction after cognitive restructuring is related to a health behavior – such as healthy eating or medication adherence – then we have identified a mechanism underlying successful behavior change.
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