Self-control relies on glucose as a limited energy source: willpower is more than a metaphor.

@article{Gailliot2007SelfcontrolRO,  title={Self-control relies on glucose as a limited energy source: willpower is more than a metaphor.},  author={Matthew Thomas Gailliot and Roy F. Baumeister and Nathan Dewall and Jon K. Maner and E. Ashby Plant and Dianne M. Tice and Lauren Brewer and Brandon J. Schmeichel and Matthew Thomas Gailliot and Roy F. Baumeister},  journal={Journal of personality and social psychology},  year={2007},  volume={92 2},  pages={          325-36        },  url={https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:7496171}}
It is suggested that self-control relies on glucose as a limited energy source, and a single act of self- Control causes glucose to drop below optimal levels, thereby impairing subsequent attempts at self- control.

1,312 Citations

The Physiology of Willpower: Linking Blood Glucose to Self-Control

This review suggests that blood glucose is one important part of the energy source of self-control, and appears highly susceptible to glucose, which might be related to a broad range of social behavior.

Glucose As an Energy Source to Increase Self-control in Restrained Eaters

The hypothesis was that restrained eaters who were depleted by a task of self-control would exhibit more disinhibition on a taste-test task than would restrained eater who were not depleted, but if the participants were given glucose following the depletion task, then their self- control would be "repleted" and they would exhibit similar control to that of the non-depleted participants.

The Role of Motivation, Glucose and Self-Control in the Antisaccade Task

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After a pair of self-control-intensive tasks, sucrose swishing improves subsequent working memory performance

Claims that self-control failure is caused by the depletion of a resource (or that it functions as if it relies on a limited resource) merit greater circumspection, as well as contrary to predictions from the limited strength model.

Motivational Versus Metabolic Effects of Carbohydrates on Self-Control

It is found that exerting self-control did not increase carbohydrate metabolization, as assessed with highly precise measurements of blood glucose levels under carefully standardized conditions, and rinsing one’s mouth with, but not ingesting, carbohydrate solutions immediately bolstered self- control.

Does the Brain Consume Additional Glucose during Self-Control Tasks?

From the standpoint of evolved function, glucose might better be thought of as an input to decision making systems rather than as a constraint on performance.

Beliefs about willpower determine the impact of glucose on self-control

It is suggested that the belief that willpower is limited sensitizes people to cues about their available resources including physiological cues, making them dependent on glucose boosts for high self-control performance.

A Cognitive Control Perspective of Self-Control Strength and Its Depletion

Self-control strength is a central construct to theories of willpower, optimal functioning, freedom from addiction, and abilities to override problematic social motives and behaviors (e.g.,…

Motivational incentives lead to a strong increase in lateral prefrontal activity after self-control exertion.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to identify the neural correlates of motivation-induced benefits on self-control and suggest that impaired performance after self- control exertion may not exclusively be due to a loss of motivation.
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81 References

Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources: does self-control resemble a muscle?

The authors review evidence that self-control may consume a limited resource and conclude that the executive component of the self--in particular, inhibition--relies on a limited, consumable resource.

Self-Regulatory Failure: A Resource-Depletion Approach

Three studies were conducted to test the behavioral consequences of effortful self-regulation. Individuals with chronic inhibitions about eating were exposed to situations varying in level of…

Mechanisms of Self-Control Failure: Motivation and Limited Resources

It is suggested that depletion only affects performance on tasks that require self-control; tasks that are difficult but do not requireSelf-control are immune to the effects of depletion; depleted individuals may compensate for their lack of self- control resources when sufficiently motivated.

Self-control and alcohol restraint: an initial application of the self-control strength model

Alcohol intake may be a function of temptation to drink and self-control strength and individuals who suppressed their thoughts consumed more and achieved a higher blood alcohol content than those who did arithmetic.

Self-control as limited resource: regulatory depletion patterns.

A strength model of self-regulation fits the data better than activation, priming, skill, or constant capacity models ofSelf-regulation.

Daily fluctuations in self-control demands and alcohol intake.

It appears that exerting self-control in nondrinking areas undermines individuals' capacity to exert self- control of drinking in daily life.

Ego depletion: is the active self a limited resource?

The results suggest that the self's capacity for active volition is limited and that a range of seemingly different, unrelated acts share a common resource.

Handbook of self-regulation : research, theory, and applications

Part 1. Basic Regulatory Processes. C. S. Carver, M. F. Scheier, Self-Regulation of Action and Affect. S. L. Koole, L. F. van Dillen, G. Sheppes, The Self-Regulation of Emotion. D. D. Wagner, T. F.…

Self-regulatory processes defend against the threat of death: Effects of self-control depletion and trait self-control on thoughts and fears of dying.

The results suggest that self-regulation is a key intrapsychic mechanism for alleviating troublesome thoughts and feelings about mortality.
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