Motivational Versus Metabolic Effects of Carbohydrates on Self-Control

Abstract

Self-control is critical for achievement and well-being. However, people's capacity for selfcontrol is limited and becomes depleted through use. One prominent explanation for this depletion is that self-control consumes energy in the form of carbohydrate metabolization and further suggests that ingesting carbohydrates improves self-control. Some evidence has supported this energy model, but given the broad implications of the model for efforts to improve self-control, the present research reevaluated the role of carbohydrates in selfcontrol processes. Four experiments demonstrated that (a) under carefully standardized conditions using precise measurements, exerting self-control did not reduce blood glucose; (b) rinsing one's mouth with, but not ingesting, carbohydrate solutions immediately bolstered self-control and prevented depletion; and (c) carbohydrate rinsing did not itself increase blood glucose. These findings challenge metabolic explanations for the role of carbohydrates in self-control depletion and suggest an alternate motivational model for these and other previously observed effects of carbohydrates on self-control (150 words).

Self-regulatory depletion in dogs: Insulin release is not necessary for the replenishment of persistence

“…Moreover, human research has reported task general effects (Molden et al, 2012, Sanders et al, 2012Hagger and Chatzisarantis, 2013). An initial act of self-control by humans affects persistence, as it does performance of the Stroop task.…”

“…Yet, a recent series of experiments by Molden et al (2012) have challenged this metabolic hypothesis by investigating whether self-control exertion by humans reliably depletes systemic glucose levels and whether increases in blood glucose levels are necessary to observe the replenishment of persistence. Their results suggest that there are no self-regulatory induced decreases in blood glucose levels for participants who are food restricted for 4 hrs and tested in the evening with a perceptual vigilance task.…”

“…Their results suggest that there are no self-regulatory induced decreases in blood glucose levels for participants who are food restricted for 4 hrs and tested in the evening with a perceptual vigilance task. Furthermore, Molden et al (2012) observed that fasted participants, who rinsed their mouths with a sugar solution for 5 s after completing a depleting task, were replenished (as measured by increased persistence on a handgrip task and performance of the Stroop task) than participants who rinsed with a noncaloric aspartame solution. Thus, the taste of glucose was sufficient for replenishing persistence even in the absence of increases in blood glucose levels.…”

“…Glucose also elicits the release of dopamine in the medial prefrontal cortex (Touzani et al, 2010). Accordingly, it is proposed that it is the dopaminergic activation of these regions by glucose that replenishes persistence (Chambers et al, 2009;Molden et al, 2012). This account is plausible; however, researchers have not yet eliminated alternative and perhaps complementary metabolic mechanisms.…”

Do they Aggress Earlier? Investigating the Effects of Ego Depletion on Police Officers’ Use of Force Behavior

“…Recently, emerging findings showed that self-control is not energetically dependent as initially proposed (Dang 2016b;Kurzban 2010;Molden et al 2012). For example, recent meta-analytic evidence (Carter and McCullough 2014;Carter et al 2015;Hagger and Chatzisarantis 2016) does not support the proposition that self-control relies on a limited resource, when tested in laboratory settings.…”