Abstract

People are constantly subject to external demands that can lead to impairments in self-control. One theory that accounts for such impairments is ego depletion, which can be responsible for people choosing to succumb to unhealthy habits rather than engaging in health-related behaviors. In study 1, I investigated the effect of ego depletion on exercise intentions among participants who do not exercise. I also tested whether showing participants an exercise advertisement framed in terms of the desirable outcomes to be attained by exercising would attenuate the effect of ego depletion on exercise intentions. No support was found for these predictions. In study 2, I used a revised measure of exercise intentions, and I examined participants who do exercise. I also investigated whether exercise self-efficacy would mediate the effect of ego depletion on exercise intentions and whether exercise habit strength would moderate these relationships. Support was found for the interaction of ego depletion and exercise habit strength on exercise self-efficacy.