Within-person variations and between-person differences in self-control and wellbeing

•The interplay between self-control and wellbeing is examined.•Self-control is positively linked to wellbeing at within- and between-person levels.•The link between self-control and wellbeing is stronger at the between-person level.

This research investigated the associations between both within-person variations and between-person differences in self-control and wellbeing. We examined these associations across two diverse samples using longitudinal survey data from 69 American undergraduate students who completed biweekly assessments across 39 weeks in Study 1, and 199 Dutch newlywed couples who completed five yearly assessments in Study 2. Our results showed that both between-person differences and within-person variations in self-control were related to wellbeing. Our research also showed that between-person differences have a stronger association than within-person variations with wellbeing.