Trying to stay focused at work? Want to avoid eating that extra piece of cake? Science now says: try thinking about people with better self-control than you.

The folks at SciGuru.com recently posted a news article reporting that self-control is contagious:

A new University of Georgia study has revealed that self-control—or the lack thereof—is contagious. In a just-published series of studies involving hundreds of volunteers, researchers have found that watching or even thinking about someone with good self-control makes others more likely exert self-control. The researchers found that the opposite holds, too, so that people with bad self-control influence others negatively. The effect is so powerful, in fact, that seeing the name of someone with good or bad self-control flashing on a screen for just 10 milliseconds changed the behavior of volunteers.

This isn’t news to regular readers of The Methodology Blog, who know we frequently discuss the power of emotional contagion. But still, it can be hard to accept the idea that emotions are so powerful that they can be spread from person to person and dramatically influence productive behaviors.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by distractions at work and need more self-control, reserve time to merely think about someone with better self-control. And if you need help increasing productivity beyond just mental focus, reach out to Slaughter Development. We are experts in helping organizations improve processes and procedures by empowering stakeholders to make positive change.

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