To test this, Christiansen et al. (57) conducted a laboratory study to examine whether the effects of ego depletion on ad libitum alcohol consumption were mediated by increases in disinhibition, in a sample of heavy social drinkers. Their results demonstrated that ego depletion caused a marked increase in ad libitum alcohol consumption and also a slight increase in disinhibition, replicating the effects reported in the aforementioned studies (49, 50). However, increased ad libitum consumption after ego depletion was not mediated by changes in disinhibition. Instead, the effects on ad libitum consumption were mediated by the perceived effort of suppressing emotions and thoughts during the ego depletion manipulation. These findings are consistent with recent evidence demonstrating that ego depletion may not influence behavior because of an actual deficit of self-control resources, but instead because of the perceived effort and beliefs about ego depletion (i.e., the belief that self-control is a limited resource and one can be “at the end of one’s tether”). For example, Job et al. (58) told participants that self-control was unlimited, and these instructions completely eliminated ego depletion
