Implicit theories about willpower predict the activation of a rest goal following self-control exertion.

Abstract

Past research indicates that peoples' implicit theories about the nature of willpower moderate the ego-depletion effect. Only people who believe or were led to believe that willpower is a limited resource (limited-resource theory) showed lower self-control performance after an initial demanding task. As of yet, the underlying processes explaining this moderating effect by theories about willpower remain unknown. Here, we propose that the exertion of self-control activates the goal to preserve and replenish mental resources (rest goal) in people with a limited-resource theory. Five studies tested this hypothesis. In Study 1, individual differences in implicit theories about willpower predicted increased accessibility of a rest goal after self-control exertion. Furthermore, measured (Study 2) and manipulated (Study 3) willpower theories predicted an increased preference for rest-conducive objects. Finally, Studies 4 and 5 provide evidence that theories about willpower predict actual resting behavior: In Study 4, participants who held a limited-resource theory took a longer break following self-control exertion than participants with a nonlimited-resource theory. Longer resting time predicted decreased rest goal accessibility afterward. In Study 5, participants with an induced limited-resource theory sat longer on chairs in an ostensible product-testing task when they had engaged in a task requiring self-control beforehand. This research provides consistent support for a motivational shift toward rest after self-control exertion in people holding a limited-resource theory about willpower.

The Self‐Generative Mind in Education: Review and Future Directions

“…However, one can create conditions that will lead to mind‐wandering, which is how lab experiments in this field are often conducted (Baars, ). Whereas Job et al () argue that wandering can be considered a rest goal , we would suggest that this arises unintentionally as a nondeliberate process. There is also room to question whether there is indeed rest involved, given that the brain consumes similar amounts of oxygen whether looking in (i.e., DMN) or whether involved in external task orientation (M. E. Raichle et al, ).…”

“…The proposed framework responds to calls to explore the dynamics of mental events that develop over time (Christoff et al, ; Ottaviani, Shapiro, & Couyoumdjian, ; Smallwood & Schooler, ), hence between deliberate and nondeliberate (process and content) we positioned a double‐ended arrow. This is suggested to indicate fluidity between these categories and changes in the dynamics of motivations and attention in human experience (Inzlicht et al, ; Job et al, ).…”

“…We may experience cognitively demanding tasks as a negative experience. This can yield shifts in motivation and attention that cause our switching from “have‐to” tasks to leisurely‐effortless doing (Inzlicht, Schmeichel, & Macrae, ; Job, Bernecker, Miketta, & Friese, ). This latter explanation may clearly apply to classroom situations, as mind‐wandering can be seen as the mind's way of expressing a preference for internal amusement over disciplined effort…”

Lead us not into temptation: The seven deadly sins as a taxonomy of temptations

“…Others suggest that prior exertion impacts people's motivation or willingness to exert self‐control, rather than their ability (Inzlicht, Schmeichel, & Macrae, ; Muraven, Shmueli, & Burkley, ). Still, others argue that the depletion effect occurs simply because people believe their self‐control is limited and exhaustible (Job, Bernecker, Miketta, & Friese, ; Job, Dweck, & Walton, ). So although the current evidence suggests that self‐control exertion produces a small but significant impairment on subsequent performance, more studies are needed to determine the robustness of this effect, its boundary conditions, and its underlying mechanisms.…”

“…Importantly, this link between self‐control exertion and lack of persistence has been established utilizing a wide range of tasks (e.g., unsolvable anagrams, figure tracing task, squeezing a handgrip, holding hand in cold water, and watching a boring video). Furthermore, self‐control exertion has been shown to increase a desire for rest‐conducive products (e.g., bed, hammock, and TV) and actual rest behavior, especially among people who believe their self‐control resources are limited (Job et al, ; Muraven et al, ).…”