TY - JOUR
T1 - Dispositional optimism, optimism priming, and prevention of ego depletion
AU - Den Bosch-Meevissen, Yvo M. C. In
AU - Peters, Madelon L.
AU - Alberts, Hugo J. E. M.
PY - 2014/10
Y1 - 2014/10
N2 - Exerting self-control leads to a diminished capacity to carry out successive acts of self-control, a process termed ego depletion. The present study investigated whether dispositional optimism, priming of an optimistic orientation, or their interaction can counteract the ego depletion effect. A total of 160 participants performed a self-control-demanding weight-lifting task on two occasions. Half of the participants were depleted between the two weight-lifting tasks. Because depletion of self-regulatory resources can undermine optimism half of the participants in the depletion, and no-depletion condition were primed for an optimistic orientation before performing the second self-control task. Results demonstrated an interaction between dispositional optimism and optimism priming. Only in participants high in dispositional optimism did the optimism prime lead to undiminished persistence on the weight-lifting task. These results demonstrate that dispositional optimism may lead to improved goal persistence in the face of adversity only under conditions in which optimistic schemas are activated.
AB - Exerting self-control leads to a diminished capacity to carry out successive acts of self-control, a process termed ego depletion. The present study investigated whether dispositional optimism, priming of an optimistic orientation, or their interaction can counteract the ego depletion effect. A total of 160 participants performed a self-control-demanding weight-lifting task on two occasions. Half of the participants were depleted between the two weight-lifting tasks. Because depletion of self-regulatory resources can undermine optimism half of the participants in the depletion, and no-depletion condition were primed for an optimistic orientation before performing the second self-control task. Results demonstrated an interaction between dispositional optimism and optimism priming. Only in participants high in dispositional optimism did the optimism prime lead to undiminished persistence on the weight-lifting task. These results demonstrate that dispositional optimism may lead to improved goal persistence in the face of adversity only under conditions in which optimistic schemas are activated.
U2 - 10.1002/ejsp.2055
DO - 10.1002/ejsp.2055
M3 - Article
SN - 0046-2772
VL - 44
SP - 515
EP - 520
JO - European Journal of Social Psychology
JF - European Journal of Social Psychology
IS - 6
ER -