Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Series: Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers
Creation-Date: 2024-04-25
Number: 24-028/V
Author-Name: Diarmaid Ó Ceallaigh
Author-Workplace-Name: Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin
Author-Name: Kirsten I.M. Rohde
Author-Workplace-Name: Erasmus University Rotterdam and Maastricht University 
Author-Name: Hans van Kippersluis
Author-Workplace-Name: Erasmus University Rotterdam
Title: Skipping your workout, again? Measuring and understanding time inconsistency in physical activity
Abstract: Anecdotally, physical activity appears to be a textbook example of time in- consistency, which is the failure to follow through on ex-ante preferences and plans. Interestingly, our longitudinal survey finds that, over a fort- night, exercising more than preferred/planned is actually more prevalent than exercising less. However, over time a majority of our sample exercise less than preferred/planned in at least one of two consecutive fortnights. We find little evidence that time inconsistency is associated with present bias, its most popular explanation in economics. We find instead that it is associated with time-varying affective psychological processes such as willpower and temptations.
Classification-JEL: C21, D91, I12
Keywords: 
File-URL: https://papers.tinbergen.nl/24028.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 1.906.741 bytes
Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:20240028