Self-control saps memory resources

http://www.theguardian.com/science/neurophilosophy/2015/sep/07/self-control-saps-memory-resources

by neverminder • 11 years ago

12 5 11 years ago

These findings strongly suggest that self-control and memory encoding share common brain structures and mechanisms, and compete with each other for them

So basically, the very moment you're trying to keep yourself from acting on an urge, you're using neurons that would otherwise be used to retrieve a memory? Or am I misunderstanding something?

cLeEOGPw• 11 years ago

that would otherwise be used to retrieve a memory

Also to create a memory. Self control basically uses up part of working memory which has limited measurable amount of neurons.

jonnybgood• 11 years ago

I remember reading about something similar in "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman.

Filthy_casual2• 11 years ago

You're probably thinking of ego depletion.

CDokolas• 11 years ago

I think "self-control" applies only in the context of the (much disputed) marshmallow experiment. Where adults are involved, some other kind of process should be identified. I'm thinking of this experiment as observation vs some kind of processing, like decision-making, where the input data are secondary to the result.

Self-control saps memory resources

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