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Internal commitment and efficient habit formation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 February 2010

Robert H. Frank
Affiliation:
Department of Economics and Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14953. frank@johnson.cornell.edu

Abstract

Rachlin's attack on the internal commitment model rests on the demonstrably false claim that self-punishment does not exist. He is correct that habits are an effective device for solving self-control problems, but his additional claim that they are the only such device makes it hard to explain how good habits develop in the first place. Someone with a self-control problem would always choose the spuriously attractive reward, which, over time, would create bad habits.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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