Dynamics of self-control in egocentric social networks

•People with high self-control had social networks with higher friend self-control.•Network members with similar levels of self-control were more often connected.•People reported valuing more and being closer to friends with high self-control.•Effects of closeness and value were larger among participants with high self-control.

People with high self-control have frequent short-term and long-term goal success. These successes stem from both reactive and proactive self-regulatory processes, including maneuvering their social relationships to interact more frequently with other people who are also high in self-control. One implication of this idea is that higher levels of self-control should mark the social networks of people with high self-control. The present study tested and found support for this hypothesis. Furthermore, within networks (a) friends with high self-control were more likely to be connected to each other (i.e., homophily) and (b) friends with relatively high (vs. low) self-control were more valued by participants, and particularly by participants with high self-control. The results provide external validity for the idea that individuals with high self-control are more likely to find themselves in and prefer social situations that are characterized by high self-control. These effects may be a result of network contagion or they may reflect strategic development of social networks that support self-control and goal outcomes.