Implementation Intentions and Mental Contrasting vs Meditation Everyday I see so many studies on meditation. These include all types (mindfulness, TM, etc..). The studies only report positive results. Meditation has been purported to increase self-control and willpower. But it seems that implementation intentions combined with mental contrasting would be better. Implementation intentions take the following form: "If I encounter situation X then I will do this." Mental contrasting sets the future goal with the current obstacles and creates an "energization." So it seems that this intervention (MCII) would be better than meditation by itself.

The reason I ask is I have been meditating for a month and have not noticed changes in my self-control. It seems that the so-called benefits of meditation could all be part of a placebo effect.
I cannot fit this into a comment, so I would post this answer, hoping it may be useful to someone. 

The affirmation of the form 


  "If I encounter situation X then I will do this."


Has been tried by amateurs in the field of lucid dream induction. Lucid dreaming is about realizing that one is dreaming from within a dream. Normally people have very limited self control during dreams, and the affirmation statement attempts to increase it.  Such statement usually includes a "dreamsign", followed by an intention to realize the fact that the person is dreaming:


  "If I will find myself in math class, I will realize that I'm
  dreaming, because I have graduated from high school and college, and
  don't have to take any more math classes for the rest of my life".


Normally, rational thought is very hazy in a dream. For example, a typical scenario is a person may find himself in a math(chemistry/other hard subject) class dream, taking an exam that the person is not prepared for. The rational mind does not question this.

The interesting thing happens (at least to me) when the above mentioned affirmation does get triggered - still without clear rational thought I get up from the desk and walk out of the class. There's no clear awareness of why, but the behavior is changed when the stimuli is experienced.