'Compulsive Nature Possible Reason Why One Indulges In Self-Destructive Acts'

A person's compulsive nature could be the reason why such individuals indulge in self-destructive behaviours, making harmful choices despite knowing the obvious negative outcomes, according to a new study.

- Press Trust Of India

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications Psychology, also found that making compulsive decisions did not appear to be random mistakes or people having "bad days".

"They're stable traits — almost like personality types. This is not to say they're fixed, just that they may require (an) intervention to break," said lead researcher Philip Jean-Richard Dit Bressel, a behavioural neuroscientist and experimental psychologist at The University of New South Wales.

Researchers said self-sabotaging choices do not arise out of a lack of motivation or capacity — rather from a subtle, yet persistent failure to connect their actions with consequences.

The team observed three distinct behaviours among Australian participants whose choices in an online game resulted in either a reward or punishment — 'Sensitives', 'Unawares' and 'Compulsives'.