Can implementation intentions help to overcome ego-depletion? Thomas L. Webb * and Paschal Sheeran Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK Received 4 September 2001; revised 14 May 2002 Abstract Research on ego-depletion suggests that the ability to self-regulate oneÕs behavior is limited: Exerting self-control on an initial task reduces performance on a subsequent task that also requires self-control. Two experiments tested whether forming imple- mentation intentions could prevent ego-depletion and/or offset the effects of ego-depletion. Experiment 1 found that participants who formed implementation intentions during an initial ego-depleting task subsequently showed greater persistence on an un- solvable puzzles task compared to participants who did not form implementation intentions. Experiment 2 found that among participants who had been ego-depleted during an initial task, forming implementation intentions improved subsequent perfor- mance on a Stroop task to the level exhibited by non-depleted controls. Thus, implementation intentions help to enhance peopleÕs ability to self-regulate their behavior. Ó 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved. Keywords: Ego-depletion; Implementation intentions; Self-regulation; Stroop task The ability to regulate impulses, emotions, and de- sires is one of the core features of the self (Tice, Brat- lavsky, & Baumeister, 2001). Exerting self-control allows us to behave flexibly, to override undesirable responses, and to avoid temptation. In a review of the literature, Baumeister, Heatherton, and Tice (1994) concluded that failure to self-regulate plays a central part in the majority of personal (e.g., heroin addiction) and social (e.g., crime) problems in Western societies. Muraven and Baumeister (2000) proposed that self- regulatory failure occurs because self-control is a limited resource akin to strength or a muscle. If this limited resource is depleted then the person can no longer reg- ulate her behavior effectively. Hence, preventing or off- setting such depletion could greatly benefit people. ‘‘Ego-depletion’’ is the term used to describe the temporary depletion of self-regulatory capacity by an initial act of self-control. Baumeister, Bratlavsky, Mu- raven, and Tice (1998) employed a number of ego-de- pletion paradigms to demonstrate the limits on peopleÕs self-regulatory capacity. For example, Experiment 1 showed that being told to eat radishes, rather than available chocolate, reduced participantsÕ subsequent persistence with unsolvable puzzles. Similarly, Muraven, Tice, and Baumeister (1998) observed that thought suppression (e.g., about white bears) reduced partici- pantsÕ subsequent ability to suppress their laughter when watching a funny video, and, in a separate experiment, their persistence on unsolvable anagrams. It appears that exercising control in one domain depletes oneÕs capacity to exercise control in a second domain. The self-control strength model (Muraven & Bau- meister, 2000) proposes that exerting self-control con- sumes self-control strength and thereby reduces the amount of strength that is available for subsequent self- control. Moreover, it appears that cognitive, emotional, and physical acts of self-control all draw upon the same limited resource (Muraven & Baumeister, 2000). It is important to note that not all effortful behaviors involve self-control. For example, solving maths problems in- volves considerable cognitive effort, but does not require overriding a response, and hence does not result in ego- depletion (Muraven et al., 1998). Although the exact nature of the self-control resource is unclear, it is linked to physical tiredness (Baumeister et al., 1998). For example, in all four experiments re- portedbyMuravenetal.(1998),ego-depletedparticipants Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 39 (2003) 279–286 www.elsevier.com/locate/jesp Journal of Experimental Social Psychology * Corresponding author. E-mail address: pcp00tlw@shef.ac.uk (T.L. Webb). 0022-1031/03/$ - see front matter Ó 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0022-1031(02)00527-9