Ego depletion is the theory that a person’s ability to use cognitive thinking and self-control is limited when the energy needed for complex tasks is depleted. This can impair the ability to perform tasks that require self-control. Sleep deprivation and emotional upheavals can also contribute to ego depletion.
Ego depletion describes a theory of a person’s limited ability to solve problems using cognitive thinking, or to display self-control, when the energy needed for complex tasks has been depleted. It is based on the concept that humans have limited resources to regulate how they process complicated information and regulate emotions. When this energy is depleted, it causes ego depletion and impairs the ability to perform tasks that require self-control.
Psychologists believe that the ego regulates the brain’s executive functioning when a person takes on jobs that require active attention, logic, or reasoning. This internal capacity allows a person to analyze facts in order to come to conclusions and make choices. It also allows a person to exert willpower to control emotions and behavior. At the end of the day, this finite resource vanishes and ego depletion occurs.
Researchers have found that exhaustion only hinders a person’s ability to use reasoning and logic in problem solving, termed active self function. Information stored in memory as general knowledge, such as vocabulary, does not require active control and is unaffected by ego depletion. This idle functioning allows a person to perform simple tasks that seem automatic.
Ego depletion may explain why dieters may resist the urge to eat fatty foods at the start of the day. Theory suggests that by the end of the day, the energy used for self-control is depleted and the ability to control emotional behavior is impaired. Another example describes how a couple might argue when they get home from work because the resources needed for emotional self-control have been drained by complex thinking in the workplace.
A central section of the brain regulates executive functions by processing visual information, interpreting mental images, and analyzing verbal input, according to these theories. A person needs focused attention to actively process this type of data, which is based on the energy level in this part of the brain. Limited resources are available to maintain self-control and motivation to actively continue work in the face of distractions. Studies show that the brain uses one-fifth of all calories consumed to function properly, even though it accounts for only two percent of total body weight. When the caloric energy is gone, the depletion of the ego sets in and the intellect suffers.
Some psychologists say sleep deprivation contributes to ego depletion because mental energy regenerates when rested. They suggest planning important tasks early in the day and becoming aware of the symptoms of ego depletion. Hunger, anger, sadness, and other energy-depleting emotional upheavals can also affect a person’s ability to make logical decisions.
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