Future-oriented motivation impacts intertemporal choice: The modulation of trait self-control

Future-oriented motivation refers to the attitude towards the future consequences of current actions, which has pronounced effects on intertemporal choice by improving self-control resources. However, it remains unknown whether this effect holds consistent among individuals with different levels of trait self-control. To address this issue, the present study compared the intertemporal choices of participants with high versus low trait self-control before and after implementing future-oriented motivation priming. The results demonstrated that future-oriented motivation increased dramatically the tendency to pursue larger delayed rewards in participants with lower self-control, but had no effect on those with high self-control. These results suggest that the effect of future-oriented motivation on intertemporal choice is moderated by individuals' trait self-control, and shed light on the improvement of intertemporal choices in individuals with low-self control.