A scientific squabble over how to define self-control draws from an unlikely source: A story from Greek mythology. Sailing home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, Odysseus longed to hear the Sirens’ ...

We have many avenues to distract us from our goals. Whether it is social media, the latest celebrity gossip or the phones in our pockets, modern society has built engaging systems for our ...

Self-control refers to the process of resisting temptations (e.g., eating junk food) that conflict with enduring goals that usually involve bigger but delayed rewards (maintaining a healthy weight and ...

People who can delay gratification and master their impulses thrive in life. And experts say that you can learn skills to rein in bad habits. By Christina Caron We tend to respect and even idolize ...

Traditional self-control advice focuses on building up your capacity to do things you don’t naturally want to do. This is how influencers sell cold plunges, for example. But it’s not just online gurus ...

You can talk about self-control as the capacity to override impulses, resist temptations, and overturn dominant responses, to advance long-term over short-term goals, and to develop efficient, ...