For the past few years, Michael Inzlicht has primarily focused on improving our understanding of self-control and the related concepts of cognitive control and executive function (mental processes that allow behavior to vary adaptively depending on current goals). Much of Michael's work explores the building blocks of control, including its neural, cognitive, emotional, and motivational foundations. At the same time—and at a different level of analysis—Michael also explores the various ways that self-control can be influenced by various cultural and situational factors, including mindfulness meditation, quality of motivation, religious belief, and stigmatization. It is hoped that by understanding the basic processes that contribute to self-control, the field will gain a better understanding of how to improve self-control and help people reach their longstanding goals.

A central feature of Michael's work is that he takes a social affective neuroscience approach to address questions of interest. Thus, he combines neuroimaging, cognitive reaction time, physiological, and behavioral techniques to understand and explain social behavior. This interdisciplinary approach provides a fuller, more integrated understanding of social behavior, emotion, and the brain. While using techniques borrowed from neuroscience and peripheral physiology, Michael's work is firmly grounded in basic psychological science. That is, his work measures basic biological states, be they from the brain or body, to understand something about the human mind, something about human psychology.