What about values and the long haul?

Picking up from yesterday, I suggested that it was a good idea to integrate values-related actions into everyday life so there is less strain on your self-control muscles.  The importance of organizing for the immediate future is further underlined by a series of experiments in which researchers investigated the relationships between values and behavioral intentions (Eyal, et al., 2009).  Across different situations, the researchers found that values predicted distant intentions better than near intentions.  In other words, if you ask me if I intend to act on my value, I will be more likely to say yes if the action is not coming up soon.  The researchers reasoned that this is because everyday realities do not impose themselves on distant plans.  For things that are far away, I don’t need to think of how to make time or negotiate with others.  But if it is close by, I need to organize daily opportunities to take values-related actions. 

Still, one of the questions I would have if I were reading is "What about the importance of my values? Shouldn’t importance be a factor? Eyal’s research also speaks to this question. In one experiment, some of the participants were asked to think and write about concrete details of values consistent events - the things they would see and hear and feel and do during the events.  Other participants were asked to think and write about the importance and meaning of values-consistent events-  the implications for their goals, their identity, and the bigger picture.  Those who thought about the big picture - the meaning and consequences – were more likely to form an intention to act.  Thinking about the big picture even cancelled out the effect of distance.  So people who were able to imagine the meaning of their choices were more likely to intend to act - even if the event was coming up soon.  This suggests that if I want to act more in line with my values, first I need first to connect my actions to a bigger picture – one that reminds me of what it means to me to take this action.  The researchers concluded (and I tend to agree) that a second good strategy would be to pre-commit myself to irreversible choices for the future in line with my values.  Once I am committed then as the time gets closer, what I intend to do can become what I actually do.

Reference

Eyal, T., Sagristano, M.D., Trope, Y., Liberman, N., & Chaiken, S. (2009). When values matter: Expressing values in behavioral intentions for the near vs. distant future. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 45, 35–43