Need for Cognition (NFC) describes interindividual differences in the tendency to enjoy thinking and to engage in cognitively challenging tasks. Whereas research in the last years focused on cognitive implications of NFC, recent studies introduced a new perspective on NFC and point to associations of NFC with emotional adjustment and especially self-control (SC). Currently, it is unknown whether the finding of a medium association between NFC and SC can be found across different measures of SC and what mechanisms underlie this association. We present results from two studies (N =102/188) using different self-report measures and experimental paradigms to assess SC. We can show that associations of NFC to SC highly depend on the chosen measurement. Additionally, we present results on the role of implicit theories of SC for the relation between NFC and SC. The results suggest that higher NFC is associated with believing in unlimited resources to exert SC.
