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Is “getting started” an effective way for people to overcome the depletion effect?
Author(s) -
Walsh Darlene,
Mantonakis Antonia,
Joordens Steve
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
canadian journal of administrative sciences / revue canadienne des sciences de l'administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.347
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1936-4490
pISSN - 0825-0383
DOI - 10.1002/cjas.1308
Subject(s) - ego depletion , task (project management) , control (management) , humanities , psychology , self control , social psychology , art , engineering , computer science , systems engineering , artificial intelligence
Whereas most research on depletion focuses on its effect on the overall performance of a subsequent task requiring self‐control, we examine the effect of depletion on self‐control after performance has begun. Across different manipulations of depletion and using different measures of self‐control (e.g., overriding an automatic behavioural tendency, enduring on a physically demanding task, and making healthy consumption choices), the results of three studies show that when self‐control has been initiated, the effect of depletion has little influence on subsequent behaviour also requiring self‐control: in other words, “getting started” on a self‐control task attenuates the depletion effect. The results also show that the way in which self‐control starts—that is, whether people choose to regulate, or whether this choice is forced—appears irrelevant. This research clarifies an effective way to facilitate self‐control after depletion, while providing a better understanding of the process underlying depletion. Copyright © 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.