Reducing self-control by weakening belief in free will

Believing in free will may arise from a biological need for control. People induced to disbelieve in free will show impulsive and antisocial tendencies, suggesting a reduction of the willingness to exert self-control. We investigated whether undermining free will affects two aspects of self-control: intentional inhibition and perceived self-control. We exposed participants either to anti-free will or to neutral messages. The two groups (no-free will and control) then performed a task that required self-control to inhibit a prepotent response. No-free will participants showed less intentional inhibitions than controls, suggesting a reduction of self-control. We assessed perceived self-control by asking participants whether the response resulted from a deliberate intention or from an impulsive reaction. Perceived self-control was lower in the no-free will group than in control group. Our findings show that undermining free will can degrade self-control and provide insights into how disbelieving in free will leads to antisocial tendencies.

► Exposure to deterministic anti-free will messages leads to antisocial tendencies and impulsivity in social contexts.
► We propose that these changes result from a reduced willingness to exert self-control.
► We tested whether weakening belief in free will influences basic cognitive markers of self-control.
► Intentional inhibition and perceived self-control were reduced after exposure to anti-free will messages.
► Our results suggest that weakening belief in free will degrade basic processes underlying self-control.