Attenuating depletion using goal priming

Abstract

This research examines how goal priming can attenuate the depletion effect. Using different self‐control goals (i.e., savings and healthy eating) and different measures of self‐control ability (i.e., willingness to buy and actual consumption), this study reveals that when people were primed with cues related to a self‐control goal and then depleted, the effect of depletion on a subsequent self‐control task (related to the primed goal) became attenuated. Also, depleted people, relative to nondepleted people, reported a lower level of commitment to a self‐control goal; however, when cues related to a self‐control goal were primed, their level of goal commitment increased, weakening the depletion effect. This research clarifies questions related to the process underlying depletion, while highlighting the importance of goal commitment (a measure of motivation) in understanding depletion.

The benefits of behaving badly on occasion: Successful regulation by planned hedonic deviations

“…This indicates that the former participants would be better able to attain the final goal due to their improved ability to generate temptation beating strategies (Baumeister, 2002). Although the study used a scenario setting, participants were exposed to a consecutive number of food choices to resemble as much as possible the type of decisions they would be facing in if they were indeed on a dieting‐pursuit goal, going beyond simple imagination of an hypothetical scenario (see Walsh, 2014; Wiebenga & Fennis, 2014, for similar procedures).…”

“…This task was repeated for diet‐day 2 to 6, with the purpose of simulating in a lab environment the type of decisions consumers will face on a daily basis, in case they were indeed following the diet. Similar hypothetical procedures have been successfully used in previous research (Walsh, 2014; Wiebenga & Fennis, 2014) to assess motivations to continue with goal pursuit.…”

Dissociation from beloved unhealthy brands decreases preference for and consumption of vegetables

“…Research on self-regulation has proposed that there are both ability and motivational components to self-regulation (Inzlicht & Schmeichel, 2012) and that goal priming attenuates depletion effects (Walsh, 2014). Indeed, research has found that activation of health goals is an effective way to help people overcome self-regulation failures when these resources are depleted (Boland et al, 2013).…”

Religiosity, monitoring and consumer self‐control

“…In addition, a key component of self‐control is motivation, which regulation importance influences (McCullough & Willoughby, ). This reasoning fits with prior research showing that motivation is an important component of self‐control, such that higher motivation leads to resistance to self‐control depletion (Baumeister & Vohs, ; Trudel & Murray, ; Walsh, ). Additionally, research suggests that regulation importance may help to explain motives behind consumer self‐control.…”