Since the early ‘90s, researchers have presented other findings that question the validity of Baumeister et al.’s (1998) ego-depletion theory. The original idea was that when sugar levels dropped, so did our self-discipline (Donohoe & Benton, 1999, 2000 Gailliot & Baumeister, 2007). Some interesting, but now disproven, extensions on this theory included the idea that willpower was related to our body’s glucose supply. As the researchers predicted, those who had snacked on cookies persisted 11 minutes longer than those who had resisted them. Guess which one required more willpower?Īfterward, they were given a puzzle to solve – an unsolvable puzzle, but they didn’t know it – to observe which group of participants would persevere longer. In this study, participants were asked to choose between snacking on cookies or radishes. Support for ego depletion theoryĮarly empirical support for ego depletion theory included the famous ‘cookie’ experiment conducted by Baumeister et al. We might then skip the gym in our ‘weakened state’ or take a cab home instead of walking. At the end of it, we theoretically have fewer mental resources to resist continued urges. This theory would view such acts as depleting events. Say we’ve stopped ourselves from yelling at a coworker in the morning, chosen fruit instead of chocolate at 3:00 p.m., and held back from the bread rolls before dinner. One of the most well-supported willpower theories concerns ego depletion: the idea that willpower is limited and we rely on a finite reservoir of mental resources to resist temptation (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice, 1998 Muraven & Baumeister, 2000 Gino, Schweitzer, Mead, & Ariely, 2011).Īccording to this theory, we use willpower daily to resist urges and push ourselves, until those resources dwindle or run out. There are numerous different theories about how self-discipline works and how we can tap into it to accomplish our goals. The ability to use “cool” rather than a “hot” emotional system of behavior.The capacity to delay gratification, holding out against short-term temptations so we can meet longer term goals.The ability to quash an impulsive response that undoes our commitment.The American Psychological Association provides a nice overview of a few key self-discipline characteristics that have been used by psychologists, including (Metcalfe & Mischel, 1999 Tangney, Baumeister, & Boone, 2004 Moffitt et al., 2011): It is also defined as “ the ability to suppress prepotent responses in the service of a higher goal… and that such a choice is not automatic but rather requires conscious effort” (Duckworth & Seligman, 2006, p. We’ll be using the terms interchangeably in this article. In the psychological literature, self-discipline is often called self-control or willpower: “ effortful regulation of the self by the self” (Duckworth, 2011, p. What is self-discipline, and how does it work? Many of us feel like we don’t have enough of it or want to improve it, but can we develop it? Let’s start with a definition of self-discipline and look a little closer at the theory behind it.
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