Frontiers in Psychology (Jun 2014)

When the Going Gets Tough, Who Keeps Going? Depletion Sensitivity Moderates the Ego-Depletion Effect

  • Stefanie J. Salmon,
  • Stefanie J. Salmon,
  • Marieke A. Adriaanse,
  • Emely eDe Vet,
  • Bob M. Fennis,
  • Denise T.D. De Ridder

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00647
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5

Abstract

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Self-control relies on a limited resource that can get depleted, a phenomenon that has been labeled ego-depletion. We argue that individuals may differ in their sensitivity to depleting tasks, and that consequently some people deplete their self-control resource at a faster rate than others. In three studies, we assessed individual differences in depletion sensitivity, and demonstrate that depletion sensitivity moderates ego-depletion effects. The Depletion Sensitivity Scale (DSS) was employed to assess depletion sensitivity. Study 1 employs the DSS to demonstrate that individual differences in sensitivity to ego-depletion exist. Study 2 shows moderate correlations of depletion sensitivity with related self-control concepts, indicating that these scales measure conceptually distinct constructs. Study 3 demonstrates that depletion sensitivity moderates the ego-depletion effect. Specifically, participants who are sensitive to depletion performed worse on a second self-control task, indicating a stronger ego-depletion effect, compared to participants less sensitive to depletion.

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