Delayed reward discounting and grit in men and women with and without obesity

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine how sensitivity to short‐term reward and long‐term goal perseverance are related to body mass index (BMI; kg m(2)) in a large sample of men and women with and without obesity. METHODS: A total of 450 participants (56.2% male; 73.1% non‐Hispanic White) with mean ± standard deviation age of 30.7 ± 10.4 years and BMI of 29.3 ± 8.2 completed online versions of the Delayed Reward Discounting task to measure sensitivity to short‐term reward and the Grit Scale to measure long‐term goal perseverance. RESULTS: In regression analysis, higher sensitivity to short‐term reward (i.e. a preference for receiving smaller rewards after a shorter delay; b = 0.49, p = 0.016) and lower long‐term goal perseverance (b = −1.26, p = 0.042) were independently associated with higher BMIs. Individuals with a favourable score on one measure were not ‘protected’ from the risk associated with an unfavourable score on the other measure. CONCLUSIONS: An overvaluation of short‐term reward (e.g. the taste of palatable food and the comfort of engaging in sedentary activities) and undervaluation of long‐term health goals (e.g. achieving a healthy weight and avoiding obesity‐related comorbidities) may contribute to excess weight. Additional research incorporating prospective experimental designs is needed to determine whether decision‐making strategies can be targeted to improve weight management.