Is “getting started” an effective way for people to overcome the depletion effect?
| Author | Steve Joordens,Darlene Walsh,Antonia Mantonakis |
| Published date | 01 March 2015 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/cjas.1308 |
| Date | 01 March 2015 |
Is “getting started”an effective way for people to
overcome the depletion effect?
Darlene Walsh*
Concordia University
Antonia Mantonakis
Brock University
Steve Joordens
University of Toronto
Abstract
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 af-
ter performance has begun. Across different manipulations
of depletion and using different measures of self-control
(e.g., overriding an automatic behavioural tendency, endur-
ing on a physically demanding task, and making healthy con-
sumption 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 ef-
fective 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.
Keywords: self-control, depletion, behaviour, consumption
Résumé
La majorité des études sur l’épuisement s’appesantissent sur
son impact sur la performance générale pendant l’exécution
d’une tâche subséquente nécessitant la maîtrise de soi. D ans
cette étudepar contre, les effets del’épuisement sur la maîtrise
de soi sont examinés après le début de l’exécution d’une tâche.
Toutes les manipulations de l’épuisement et l’usage des
différentes mesures de maîtrise de soi (par exemple la
neutralisation d’une tendance comportementale automatique,
la persévérance dans l’exécution d’une tâche physiquement
éreintante et les choix de pratiques de cons ommation saines)
révèlent que dans les trois études, l’épuisement a peu d’impact
sur l’exécution de tâches subséquentes exigeant aussi la
maîtrise de soi lorsque celle-ci a déjà été enclenchée. En
d’autres termes, » embrasser dès l’entame « une tâche
exigeant la maîtrise de soi atténue l’effet de l’épuisement.
Les résultats indiquent aussi que le mode de déclenchement
de la maîtrise de soi –que les gens choi sissent de réguler ou
que le choix soit imposé –n’a ici aucune importance. L’étude
fait la lumière sur une manière efficace de déclencher la
maîtrise de soi après l’épuisement et permet de mieux
comprendre le processus qui sous-tend l’épuisement.
Copyright © 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mots-clés: maîtrise de soi, épuisement, comportement,
consommation
Understanding why people sometimes fail at self-
control is important to psychology theory and perhaps even
more important to practice. Thus, much research has focused
on the study of self-control, and researchers have developed
many models to account for self-control failure. One such
model is the depletion model, whichproposes that people have
a limited reserve of a resource, analogous to strength or energy,
which must be used when they actively regulate, change, or
override their responses (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven,
& Tice, 1998; Baumeister, Heatherton, & Tice, 1994; Muraven
& Baumeister, 2000). To test this model, researchers typically
engage people in a task that either requires self-control or one
that requiresvery little, if any, self-control. They thenmeasure
self-control abilities on another, unrelated task requiring self-
control. The assumption is that when people engage in the
*Please address correspondence to: Darlene Walsh, John Molson School of
Business, Concordia University, 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W., MB
13.233, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 1 M8. Email: dwalsh@jmsb.
concordia.ca
Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences
Revue canadienne des sciences de l’administration
32:47–57 (2015)
Published online 25 February 2015 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/CJAS.1308
Can J Adm Sci
32(1), 47–57 (2015)Copyright © 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 47
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