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 effects. This was later replicated, but only in situations of minor ego depletion (59). Similarly, Alberts et al. (60) demonstrated that priming thoughts of persistence led to stable self-control, i.e., immunity from ego depletion effects. Finally, Clarkson et al. (61) showed that individuals who perceive themselves as less (versus more) depleted are somewhat protected against ego depletion effects. Considered together, these studies suggest that ego depletion effects are genuine phenomena, but they may be mediated by beliefs about self-control rather than a directly observable transient change in disinhibition [see also (48)]. The findings from the study by Christiansen et al. (57) demonstrate that this account may also explain the role played by ego depletion in substance use disorders.
