Recent developments in the self-control theory suggest that the successful regulation of desires and impulses does not always depend on effortful willpower. Instead, individuals can achieve self-control through the use of less effortful, strategic approaches that proactively minimize the emergence or impact of temptations. This theoretical shift has prompted growing interest in how to effectively promote the use of self-control strategies. However, most research to date has been conducted in Western contexts and has primarily focused on individual-level factors, such as traits, motivation, or regulatory capacity. Less attention has been paid to whether culturally rooted ways of thinking are associated with the use and effectiveness of self-control strategies in daily life. To address this gap, the present study explored self-control strategy use within a Chinese cultural context and further examined whether zhongyong thinking, a culturally rooted thinking style emphasizing holistic consideration, dialectical coordination, and harmony orientation, predicts both the use and effectiveness of self-control strategies. Two key questions guided this study: (1) Are all types of self-control strategies equally effective in mitigating temptations and impulses within a Chinese cultural context? (2) Is zhongyong thinking associated with self-control success through the use of specific self-control strategies?

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was employed to track participants’ self-control experiences and strategy use in daily life. After completing a baseline survey measuring zhongyong thinking, trait self-control, and demographic variables, participants took part in a seven-day EMA procedure, with seven assessments per day at 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00, and 20:00. In each assessment, participants reported whether they had experienced a self-control situation during the current or previous two hours. If they had attempted self-control, they further reported the type of situation, desire strength, strategies used, and self-control success. Self-control strategies were coded into four categories: situation, attention, cognition, and inhibition strategies. A total of 127 participants contributed 5,886 valid assessments. Given the nested structure of the data, multilevel models were estimated using the lme4 package in R. Multilevel linear models were used to examine whether different strategies predicted self-control success, whereas multilevel logistic models were used to examine whether zhongyong thinking predicted the use of different strategies. Bayesian multilevel mediation analyses were further conducted using the brms package to test the indirect effects of zhongyong thinking on self-control success through strategy use.

The results (see Figure 2) showed that situation strategies (p <.001), attention strategies (p <.001), and cognition strategies (p <.001) were significant positive predictors of self-control success. Inhibition strategies, by contrast, did not significantly predict self-control success (p>.05). As shown in Table 1, zhongyong thinking positively predicted the use of situation (p <.001), attention (p<.05), and cognition strategies (p<.05), but not inhibition strategies (p >.05). As shown in Figure 3, Bayesian mediation analyses further showed significant indirect effects of zhongyong thinking on self-control success through situation (indirect effect =.12), attention (indirect effect =.04), and cognition strategies (indirect effect =.04). The indirect effect through inhibition strategies was not significant.

By employing EMA, this study examined the use and effectiveness of self-control strategies in everyday life within a Chinese cultural context. Furthermore, it investigated how zhongyong thinking, as a culturally rooted thinking style, is associated with individuals’ use of strategies. The findings suggest that, in contrast to inhibition strategies, situation, attention, and cognition strategies are more consistently associated with self-control success in Chinese contexts. This research contributes to a more culturally inclusive understanding of self-control by highlighting how macro-level cultural values and thinking styles can shape micro-level behavioral strategies. These findings provide preliminary evidence for understanding how culturally related psychological constructs may be associated with self-control strategy use and effectiveness in a Chinese cultural context.