Research Project Focuses on Temptations and Self-Control

Photo by Matt Reynolds

Jennifer Veilleux (left) and Eric Funkhouser will lead a project focusing on temptation and self-control.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Researchers at the University of Arkansas are launching a project that will examine how people think of their temptations.

In laboratory studies, the researchers will have dieters and smokers view their desires as either coming from within themselves or externally, and then tempt them with the objects of their desire, either food or cigarettes, to see which view of urges is most effective at helping people resist their temptations.

“Everyday cases of self-control often come down to how well people manage their conflicting goals and temptations,” said Jennifer Veilleux, an assistant professor of psychological science in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. “Dieters or smokers will often say, ‘The emotion swept over me like it’s the wind. This craving just came upon me.’ It wasn’t originated from the self but something external, an ethereal external temptation that then almost infects the person.”

Florida State University awarded Veilleux a nearly $143,000 grant to conduct the project in collaboration with Eric Funkhouser, an associate professor of philosophy in Fulbright College. Their project is part of a $4.5 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation awarded to Florida State for an initiative called the Philosophy and Science of Self-Control.

Funkhouser said people sometimes see these external pressures as inner demons or animal urges.

“That creates a mindset where you are at war with this entity,” he said. “We want to determine if that is a healthy and effective attitude to take toward temptation, or whether it is better to have what we call an acceptance attitude, where you accept a temptation as part of yourself.”

The University of Arkansas project was one of 10 selected through a sub-grant competition by Florida State. The overall project will investigate self-control from a variety of perspectives, from neuroscience and social and developmental psychology to philosophy, and involve researchers from around the world.

The U of A researchers are looking at dieters and those wanting to quit smoking because weight loss and smoking cessation are difficult arenas where temptations often get in the way of success.

In addition to laboratory studies, they will gather data from adults across the United States to discover the extent to which people view their temptations as either internal or external, as well as how their views relate to their success at self-control.

About the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: Fulbright College is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with 19 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students and is named for J. William Fulbright, former university president and longtime U.S. senator.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.