Chapter 3 Self Regulation and Ego Depletion

self-regulation

the process by which we seek to control or alter our thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and urges -we control/guide ongoing behavior in the pursuit of our goals

Marshmallow Experiment for Self Regulation

-participants are separated in to two groups and asked to sit at a table for 10 mins before the experiment begins 1. Radish condition: -resisting the temptation of the cookies reduced the energy they had to perserve on the puzzle (gave up faster) Result: the subjects that ate the radishes gave up on the next test/ puzzle faster than those that ate the cookies

Desire regulation study

-people spent 3-4 hours per day resisting problematic desires *Result: -that the more frequently and recently people have resisted a desire the less successful they will be at resisting any subsequent desire. Therefore as a day goes on, willpower becomes LOWER and self control efforts are MORE LIKELY TO FAIL.

ego depletion

-the loss of mental energy and a subsequent reduction in capacity to avoid urges or persevere on challenging tasks *some decisions deplete more than others: -depends on how (un) pleasant & how much you feel you gave up in dealing with something *efforts at self control are MORE LIKELY TO FAIL AT NIGHT

decision fatigue

a state of depleted willpower caused by making decisions, which can affect subsequent decisions by causing people to fail to think and choose carefully *leads people to selecting established habits, even bad ones; because they can be initiated without thought 1. We are more likely to postpone/ avoid decisions when depleted 2. Less compromise when our willpower is depleted 3. More likely to act on impulse and self indulge 4. More likely to engage in moral licensing