Inhibitory Control:

Inhibitory control, also called response inhibition, allows us to override strong internal/external impulses and control thoughts, emotions, behavior, and attention to act appropriately. Core to cognitive control (executive function/EF), it’s thinking before reacting, consciously pausing automatic urges, considering past experiences and future consequences in the current situation, and matching behaviors with intentions and motivations (suppressing action unlikely to achieve valuable results). Examples: suppressing a natural response (resist eating cake when dieting or scratching an itchy mosquito bite), keeping calm (controlling reactions to something annoying), selective attention (focus where you choose and ignore other stimuli, like at a party). Also see Neurocognitive System