Abstract: Following the analogy of a strength model, self-control depends on a limited resource that determines capacity for effortful control over dominant responses and, once expended, leads to impaired subsequent self-control task performance, known as ego depletion. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the role of rest in the mechanisms of replenishing the depleted resource. In Experiment 1, Resource-depleted participants were asked to concentrate their attention on characters in video without looking distraction words to induce ego depletion, non-depleted participants did not have self-control exertion when they watched the same attention video, and then all participants completed the Stroop effect test. The difference between Experiment 2 and Experiment 1 was that resource-depleted participants received rest at different time (5 minutes or 10 minutes) after attention-control video task. The results showed:(1) resource-depleted participants exhibited a significant reduction in performance of Stroop effect test compared to non-depleted participants; (2) when resource-depleted participants took rest 5 minutes or 10 minutes, their performance of Stroop test were both significantly better than non-depleted participant. These findings suggest taking a 5-minute rest can effectively replenish the self's depleted resource once it is initially depleted by prior control exertion.

Key words: self-control, ego depletion, replenishment