Labs worldwide report converging evidence that undermines the low-sugar theory of depleted willpower
One of the main findings in willpower research is that it's a limited resource. Use self-control up in one situation and you have less left over afterwards - an effect known as "ego-depletion". This discovery led to a search for the underlying physiological mechanism. In 2007, Roy Baumeister, a pioneer in the field, and his colleagues reported that the physiological correlate of ego-depletion is low glucose. Self-control leads the brain to metabolise more glucose, so the theory goes, and when […]
Hagger, M. & Chatzisarantis, N. (2012). The Sweet Taste of Success: The Presence of Glucose in the Oral Cavity Moderates the Depletion of Self-Control Resources, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, DOI: 10.1177/0146167212459912
Sanders, M., Shirk, S., Burgin, C. & Martin, L. (2012). The Gargle Effect: Rinsing the Mouth With Glucose Enhances Self-Control, Psychological Science, DOI: 10.1177/0956797612450034
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