Abstract

This research examines the effect of regulatory fit on self-regulation. People experience regulatory fit when their strategy of goal pursuit fits (vs. conflicts) with their regulatory focus. Four experiments provide support for the hypothesis that regulatory fit improves whereas regulatory nonfit impairs self-regulatory performance. These results were obtained across multiple self-regulatory tasks that included a handgrip exercise to test physical endurance (exp. 1), a choice between a healthy and a decadent snack to test willpower in the face of temptation (exp. 2 and 3), and a health-related compliance decision to demonstrate self-regulation (exp. 4). Intensified motivation seems to be the mechanism underlying the regulatory fit effect.