Temporal self-regulation theory: A model for individual health behavior

Abstract Human behavior often seems “maladaptive”, “self-defeating”, or “dysfunctional” to the observer. Upon closer examination, the rationality of human behavior largely depends on the temporal frame adopted; behaviors judged to be maladaptive in the long-run are usually driven by a strongly favorable balance of immediate costs and benefits. That is, many ‘‘maladaptive’’ behaviors are associated with substantial long-term costs and few (if any) long-term benefits; however, these same behaviors are frequently associated with many benefits and few costs for the individual at the time of action. In contrast, many avoided behaviors that seem ‘‘adaptive’’ to the outside observer, are in fact associated with…