title: A series of meta-analytic tests of the depletion effect: Self-control does not seem to rely on a limited resource.
abstract: Failures of self-control are thought to underlie various important behaviors (e.g., addiction, violence, obesity, poor academic achievement). The modern conceptualization of self-control failure has been heavily influenced by the idea that self-control functions as if it relied upon a limited physiological or cognitive resource. This view of self-control has inspired hundreds of experiments designed to test the prediction that acts of self-control are more likely to fail when they follow previous acts of self-control (the depletion effect). Here, we evaluated the empirical evidence for this effect with a series of focused, meta-analytic tests that address the limitations in prior appraisals of the evidence. We find very little evidence that the depletion effect is a real phenomenon, at least when assessed with the methods most frequently used in the laboratory. Our results strongly challenge the idea that self-control functions as if it relies on a limited psychological or physical resource.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Evan C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Lilly M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Kofler
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: McCullough
mesh_terms: D004532:Ego; D006801:Humans; D000068356:Self-Control