Aftereffects of self-control on positive emotional reactivity
Year: 2018
Type: preprint
Abstract: According to the process model of ego depletion, exercising self-control causes shifts in motivation and attention that may increase positive emotional reactivity. In an initial study and a preregistered replication, participants exercised self-control (or not) on a writing task before reporting their emotional responses to positive, negative, and neutral images. In Study 1 (N = 256) we found that exercising (versus not exercising) self-control increased positive emotional responses to positive images among more extraverted individuals. In Study 2 (N = 301) we found that exercising self-control increased positive reactivity independent of extraversion. These findings support the process model of ego depletion and suggest that exercising self-control may influence responding that does not entail self-control (i.e., positive emotional reactivity)—an outcome that is not anticipated by the limited resource model of self-control.
Authors: Anna J Finley, Brandon Schmeichel
Institution: Texas A&M University
Language: English
Subfield: Applied Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4238722338