Does depletion have a bright side? Self‐regulation exertion heightens creative engagement

Resource‐based theories posit that exerting self‐control to regulate one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors depletes people's available self‐regulatory resources, leaving them depleted and less able to exert self‐control in subsequent activities. Although the detrimental effects of depletion are well‐established, we challenge this prevailing view by proposing that depletion can have unexpected beneficial effects. Across multiple studies, our...