The self-control costs of fighting the temptation to drink.
Being exposed to the sight and smell of an alcoholic beverage and not drinking it should require self-control. On the basis of the self-control strength model (M. Muraven & R. F. Baumeister, 2000), exerting self-control should lead to poorer performance on subsequent self-control tasks. Using a cue exposure paradigm, the authors had 160 social drinkers alternately sniff water and alcohol. After each trial, the drinkers engaged in 2 self-control tasks: squeezing a handgrip and a self-stopping task. Performance on these tasks was worse after sniffing alcohol than after sniffing water. Mood and arousal did not mediate the effects; urge to drink was negatively related to outcomes. The effects were stronger for individuals high in trait temptation to drink. Resisting the temptation of drinking appears to undermine self-control capacity.
Muraven
Mark
M
Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, 12222, USA. muraven@albany.edu
Shmueli
Dikla
D
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D014836:Volition