Aftereffects of self-control on positive emotional reactivity

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.

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