Ego depletion: your willpower is finite
Chad Schomber
Creative Lead + Project Lead | Brand Development, Creative Strategy, Persuasive Copy.
Willpower kicks in when there is a gap between what we want (donut) and what we are engaged in (diet). Exercising willpower in one instance, like saying no to that donut in the morning, reduces our ability to exert self-control later in the day. So instead of being rewarded for our resistance, our willpower takes a nap and bad decisions creep in.
The interesting twist to ego depletion is how our work or lifestyle is hindering our willpower. Participating in difficult cognitive tasks, like making big decisions, solving problems, etc. throughout the day exhausts our capacity to resist temptations. We become passive, and make more impulsive decisions that fall out of line with our true values.
Related to ego depletion is decision fatigue. It’s the deteriorating quality of decisions made by us after already making a series of decisions. We’re constantly trying to make the best decision possible in each situation. As our brain calculates outcomes, weighs values and processes details, each decision hurdle we encounter drains our ability to make smart decisions. Counterproductive, right?
Watch this short TED Talk clip from Dan Gilbert: Why we make bad decisions