Breaking bad behaviour – overcoming short-term temptations

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Behaving morally requires the ability to act on long-term goals and commitments, and to overcome the lure of short-lived joys. How are we able to do that? New research by Gijs van Houwelingen of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) reveals that focusing on the bigger picture instead of small details can help.
In his dissertation 'Something to Rely On: The Influence of Stable and Fleeting Drivers on Moral Behavior', Gijs van Houwelingen argues that cognitive abstraction allows us to concentrate on what we find important in the long run (‘stable drivers’). On the other hand, concrete cognition, enhances the effect of short-lived influences (‘fleeting drivers’).

 

Thes findings are especially interesting from a moral point of view, as moral behaviour often requires that p...


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