P02.48. Overcoming ego depletion: the effects of an optimism manipulation on repeated acts of self-control

Purpose The present study attempted to establish the causal status between optimism and executive functioning (selfregulation). Repeated acts of self-control draw from a limited general resource which, upon depletion, results in reduced capacity for continued self-regulation, a process termed ego depletion (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice, 1998). The present study investigated whether: (1) An a priori explicit optimism induction can buffer against the ego depletion effect. (2) A potential reduction in the ego depletion effect caused by optimism results from (a) more effective mental resource utilization or (b) greater willingness to invest resources.