Self-control: limited resources and extensive benefits

Abstract

Successful self-control has many benefits for individuals and society as a whole. Self-regulation relies on a limited resource. After one act of self-control, this resource is reduced, thereby impairing future acts of self-control. Self-control resources can be managed and conserved for future tasks. Recent research on perceived self-control (in the self and others), self-control in interpersonal interactions, and the physiological basis of the limited resource model point to promising areas for future self-control research. WIREs Cogn Sci 2012, 3:419-423. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1173 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.