The effects of priming representations of close relationship partners on self-control performance

Abstract

Through a fundamental need to belong, individuals are drawn to various social connections and interactions. These interactions have been shown to influence behaviour, cognitions, affect, and self-control of the participants involved. Although research on the negative effects of social interactions on self-control resources is plentiful, the influence on the same resources that positive relationship partners can have has been slowly emerging. With self-control crucially contributing to overall personal well-being and success in various domains of one’s life, it is imperative to understand factors that can help strengthen resources when they are weakened. Across two studies, I examined whether cognitively depleted participants primed with representations of close relationship partners, both subtly and explicitly, were able to recover self-control strength. In Study 1, priming depleted individuals with images of their dating partner (versus neutral content) led to increased performance on a self-control task. More specifically, an explicit or subtle prime both elicited increased self-control performance compared to instances in which individuals were primed with neutral content. Study 2 varied the relationship type to include close others, dating partners, and acquaintances, while also employing a different method of priming and a second measure of self-control. Results indicated that priming close others and dating partners lead to greater self-control performance than priming acquaintances for depleted individuals. In both studies, potential mediators of the prime by self-control effect were explored; however only Study 2 revealed a significant mediator of inclusion of other in self (or self-other overlap). These findings suggest that both subtle and overt reminders of close others provide important resources that attenuate instances of cognitive depletion. Implications for future research are discussed.