Humility facilitates higher self-control

• We hypothesize that humility enhances self-control.
• Recalling humility experiences improved performance in a handgrip task (Studies 1 and 4), food abstinence task (Study 2), and tracing task (Study 3) than recalling other experiences.
• In Studies 3 and 4, reported self-control was higher in the humility condition compared to the low and high self-esteem conditions.
• We discuss how the findings might be relevant to understanding outcomes associated with humility.

Prior evidence and existing theories imply that humility engenders intra- and inter-personal attributes that facilitate self-regulatory abilities. Four experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that humility predicts enhanced self-control. Participants who recalled humility experiences were found to be better able at sustaining their physical stamina in a handgrip task (Studies 1 and 4), resisting indulgence in chocolates (Study 2), and persevering in a frustrating tracing task (Study 3) than those who recalled neutral experiences. Studies 3 and 4 demonstrated that the effect of humility was distinct from that of self-esteem, which did not affect self-control. Study 2 ruled out two alternative hypotheses concerning achievement and compliance motives. We discuss how the findings might relate to outcomes associated with humility as evidenced in past studies.