RUNNING HEAD: SELF-REGULATION AND CHOICE Decision Fatigue Exhausts Self-Regulatory Resources — But So Does Accommodating to Unchosen Alternatives

Effortful choice is costly, but so is accommodating to choices made by others. In five studies, participants who made a series of choices regarding consumer products, college courses, or course materials subsequently showed poorer self-regulation (measured in terms of task persistence, task performance, and pain tolerance), as compared to people who viewed or rated similar options without making choices. In two additional studies, people were better at self-regulation (measured in terms of physical stamina and speed-accuracy trade-offs) after they had performed a task they had chosen, as compared to performing a task chosen by others. A limited resource model can explain why people regard choice-making as stressful yet generally prefer to have choices. Self-Regulation and Choice, p. 3 “The difficulty in life is the choice. ” --George Moore, The Bending of the Bough, 1900 The rich complexity of human social life is partly attributable to choice. Each day, millions of people make decisions that will have lasting effects on their lives. Although choices are often described as painful, agonizing, difficult, and by other terms that connote adversity, people who lack choices tend to see their situations as even more aversive. Indeed, the restriction of freedom (throug