2025/01/01 by Qiongdan Liang, Yongfa Zhang, Zhuoran Li +6 · 1 voice
Decision Sciences · Neuroscience · Psychology · #Behavioral Health and Interventions #Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics #Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1525/collabra.150270
openalex publication_date 2025/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/12/08 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Improving intertemporal decision-making is essential for reducing relapse in individuals with substance misuse. This study investigated how similarity and positivity cognition interact to shape intertemporal decision-making in male abstinent heroin users (AHU). We hypothesized that the often negative present self-views of substance misusers would create a conflict between similarity and positivity pathways, limiting their ability to make better decisions for the future. Across seven studies involving male AHU, we tested this hypothesis. Study 1 revealed that male AHU exhibited significantly lower levels of positivity and similarity cognition compared to healthy controls, underscoring the need for targeted interventions. Study 2 confirmed that male AHU possess negative current self-perceptions, validating the foundation of the similarity-positivity cognitive conflict mechanism. Studies 3, 4A, and 4B further demonstrated the conflict mechanism through both correlational and causal analyses, showing a clear directionality: similarity cognition negatively influenced positivity cognition, while positivity cognition had no adverse effect on similarity cognition. Studies 5A and 5B examined the immediate and sustained effects of enhancing positivity cognition on intertemporal decision-making in male AHU. Results showed that the positivity pathway immediately increased their willingness to engage in physical exercise. However, the sustained effects remain inconclusive and warrant further investigation. Together, these findings provide novel insights into the cognitive dynamics of substance misuse and highlight positivity cognition as a promising target for interventions aimed at improving decision-making and reducing relapse.