Impulsive Behavior: Tests And Examples

Real-life examples of impulsive behavior can include impulsive spending, risky sexual behavior, reckless behavior, gambling, impulsive business decisions, substance use, binge eating, and aggressive behavior. 

In some cases, impulsive behavior may be a symptom of a mental health disorder or another health concern. Treatment typically involves therapy, and sometimes medication may be prescribed. If you’re interested in working through your impulsivity with the help of a mental health professional, an online therapy platform may be a viable option.

Below, we’ll explore impulsive behavior, tests that researchers sometimes use to measure it, and ways to overcome impulsive behavior.

What is impulsive behavior?

Impulsive behavior can be challenging to define, but in general, it is thought of as unplanned behavior. Rather than thinking through your options, impulsive behavior typically involves acting on a whim without considering the consequences or long-term repercussions of your decision.

Tests of impulsive behavior in research

The marshmallow test

The marshmallow test has been used extensively to study impulsive behavior in children. It generally begins with a researcher giving a child one marshmallow and telling the child that they (the researcher) will leave the room. They usually explain that if the marshmallow is still there when they come back, they will give the child a second marshmallow, and then the child can eat both marshmallows.

Some children behave impulsively and eat the first marshmallow as soon as the researcher is out of sight. Others consider the benefits of waiting and don't eat the first marshmallow while the researcher is away. While the researcher is out of the room, a timer is usually running to determine how long the child waits for the second marshmallow.

Long-term studies based on the marshmallow test have shown that the children who waited longer for the second marshmallow tended to be more successful later in life. The longer they waited to get the second marshmallow, the more likely they generally were to:

• Have higher SAT scores
• Cope better with social and emotional challenges during their teens
• Achieve a higher level of education
• Avoid using certain illegal substances

Go/no-go task

One aspect of impulsive behavior can be related to response inhibition. This generally means that when you're exposed to a stimulus, you can hold back from responding to it. In the go/no-go task, you may be asked to respond in a certain way to a stimulus. For example, you may be asked to hit a certain key on a computer keyboard when you see a go signal. However, a stop signal is sometimes shown before the go signal. In this task, the impulsive behavior would be to respond to the stop signal instead of the go signal.

A similar test, called the stop signal reaction time test, usually gives the stop signal after the go signal. In this test, the goal is usually to respond as quickly to the go signal as possible while avoiding a response to the stop signal.

Iowa Gambling Task

The way you make decisions, whether based on emotion or rational thought, can play a part in whether you behave impulsively or not. The Iowa Gambling Task was developed to test people who have ventromedial prefrontal cortex damage, a specific type of brain damage. It has also been used with other subjects to study impulsive reactions based on immediate emotional and social rewards.

In the test, each subject is usually shown four decks of cards. Two of the decks may give greater rewards for wins, but also larger deductions for losses. Those who choose these two decks consistently may lose overall, while those who choose from the other two may have overall gains. Those who made decisions based on emotion usually chose the higher-risk decks. These are often called "hot decisions," while decisions based on reason and logic are typically called "cold decisions."

Balloon Analogue Risk Task

Risk taking can be another factor behind impulsive behavior. In the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), the research subject is normally asked to push a button as many times as they’d like in order to inflate a balloon. They're generally instructed that each punch of the button inflates the balloon more, but that the balloon will pop if they overinflate it. The bigger they make the balloon, the greater their rewards may be. They can bank those rewards and start again with a new balloon. However, if they keep going until the balloon pops, they may lose any unbanked rewards. The subjects who were more prone to reckless behavior tended to pop their balloon more often and receive fewer rewards.

Differential reinforcement of low response task

The time factor can be important when determining whether a behavior is impulsive. Some researchers have studied whether subjects could inhibit their desire to respond until a specified time. The differential reinforcement of low response task measures and has been used to determine impulsivity in ADHD in children.

As the test starts, the researcher usually tells a child that they will have a chance to earn M&Ms. How many they earn may depend on how they behave. If they press a button, they usually earn one piece of candy. They could get more candy by pressing the button again, but only if they wait six seconds. If they didn't wait long enough, they generally don’t get the next piece of candy. If a child pushes the button too quickly each time, they may be more impulsive than other children and may experience hyperactivity.

Real-life examples of impulsive behavior

Impulsive behavior doesn’t just happen in a lab. Below are some real life examples of impulsive behaviors.

Impulsive spending

Imagine you go to a clothing store to buy a sweater. A sweater may be in your budget and on sale, and it may be the only item you need. Now, imagine that as you go through the store, many other items catch your eye. If you picked up more than you came for without considering the cost, you might be engaging in impulsive behavior. This could result in spending more than you can afford to spend, and you could even end up with a closetful of clothes you'll never wear.

Risky sexual behavior

Taking dangerous risks in sexual situations can be another form of impulsive behavior. Risky sexual behavior can result in unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and other potentially harmful situations.

Reckless behavior

Reckless behavior can be another term for impulsive behavior. When you act recklessly, you may know your actions could cause harm, but you may do them anyway. Often, reckless behavior has to do with driving, such as drunk driving, drag racing, or driving much faster than the speed limit. Reckless behavior can end in property damage, legal problems, injury, and even death.

Gambling

Many people like to go to a casino for entertainment and only spend a small amount of money. However, if you gamble impulsively, you may keep gambling regardless of whether you're winning or losing. If you take only a small amount of money and want to gamble more, you may go to the ATM and take more money out of your bank account. You may not consider whether you need to pay important bills with that money. You may only be thinking of the way you're feeling at the moment.

Impulsive business decisions

Making business decisions on a whim can have serious consequences. You may have to act quickly to take advantage of certain opportunities, but when you act impulsively, you generally don’t stop to think about what that decision might mean in the long run.

Impulsive behavior example

Here's an example: Imagine you were given an opportunity to invest in a new business. If you invested your life savings without taking time to do research, consult with a lawyer and accountant, and take your future into account, that could qualify as impulsive behavior. Most decisions made this way can lead to a substantial financial loss or a business deal that you don't want to complete.

Substance use

Substance misuse can often happen in an impulsive way. For example, if you're at a party or a friend's home and various substances are available, you might use them without thinking of the short-term and long-term effects they may have on you. If you're addicted to a substance, you may react to that desire no matter what you must do to get it, which can lead to impulsive behavior.

Binge eating

If you engage in binge eating, you may be focused on the way you’re feeling in the moment. You may feel extremely guilty after binge eating, but that typically doesn’t stop you from indulging when you feel the urge to eat. You may know that eating too much can make you feel miserable shortly afterward and have negative health effects in the long run, but you may not be very sensitive to that fact in the moment. Instead, you might focus on what feels good and comfortable in the moment regardless of its later effects.

Aggressive behavior

Aggressive behavior isn't always impulsive, but it can be. If you react with angry outbursts or even violence in the moment anger strikes, you may be behaving impulsively. Impulsive behavior could include harming someone, destroying their property, or getting into legal trouble.

Impulsive behavior as a symptom

Impulsive behavior is sometimes a symptom of a mental health condition. 

Mental health conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and those listed below may cause a person to behave with impulsivity:

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Bipolar disorder, especially in the manic phase
• Intermittent explosive disorder
• Kleptomania
• Pyromania
• Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder)
• Substance use disorder
• Personality disorders
• Stroke
• Dementia

Treatment for impulsive behavior

Although research may still be needed to find the best treatments for impulsive behavior and related disorders, there are some treatments that can help. For example, doctors may prescribe medications for certain conditions that involve impulsive behavior. It’s recommended that you not start or stop medication unless under the supervision of a medical professional.

Non-medication treatments for conditions with impulsive behavior as a symptom may include brain training and behavioral therapy. Brain training typically involves learning to inhibit responses so that you can think before you act. Several types of behavioral interventions may be used, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, behavioral couples therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, contingency management, and relapse prevention.

Managing impulsive behavior: The importance of seeking mental health assistance

The best way to manage impulsive behaviors that are causing a problem in your life may be to seek mental health assistance sooner rather than later. Talking to a therapist about impulsive behaviors can be a good first step toward making a plan to address them. If you don’t feel comfortable going to a therapist’s office, you might try online therapy, which research has shown to be just as effective as in-person therapy. A recent publication looked at 373 studies and confirmed the effectiveness of online cognitive behavioral therapy.

Impulse control: Online therapy options

If you’re someone who has financial concerns because of difficulty with impulse control, know that online therapy also tends to be less expensive than traditional therapy. Also, BetterHelp tends to not have waiting lists, so can likely be matched with a licensed mental health professional within 48 hours.