Ego depletion decreases trust in economic decision making

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Economics
• Social Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Self-control is a finite resource that can be depleted through exertion.
• Economic decision-making is influenced by psychological states, including self-control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of ego depletion on trust in economic decision-making.
• To examine moderating factors influencing the relationship between self-control and trust.

Main Methods:

• Three experiments were conducted involving tasks requiring self-control (ego depletion) or not.
• Participants played the role of a sender in a trust game, deciding how much money to allocate.
• Experimental conditions manipulated the likelihood of meeting the receiver and perceived similarity.

Main Results:

• Ego-depleted participants allocated less money, indicating reduced trust, compared to non-depleted participants.
• This effect was pronounced when participants had no expectation of meeting the receiver or perceived no similarity.
• Neurotic individuals showed the most significant decrease in trust when depleted.

Conclusions:

• Self-control plays a crucial role in facilitating behavioral trust.
• Trust is diminished under ego depletion, particularly in anonymous or impersonal social contexts.
• Future research should explore interventions to maintain trust when self-control is low.