Fail to Resist Temptation: the Role of Self-Regulatory Resource Depletion in Depressive Symptoms

目的：考察自我控制资源损耗在抑郁和正常个体中对抵制诱惑的影响。方法：测量被试的抑郁症状，采用经典的自我损耗实验范式，考察不同抑郁水平下自我损耗对抵制诱惑的影响。结果：与非损耗组相比，损耗组更难以抵制美食诱惑(F(1) = 5.60, P = 0.020)；抑郁分组和自我损耗对于抵制诱惑有显著的交互作用(F(1) = 4.88, P = 0.030)。和正常组相比，抑郁组被试在自我损耗的情况下更难以抵制美食诱惑(M抑郁组 = 16.58 ± 5.40, M正常组 = 13.35 ± 4.76)，但在非损耗的情况下则无显著差异(M抑郁组 = 12.00 ± 3.14, M正常组 = 13.19 ± 4.50)，该差异主要与抑郁个体的抑制阈限降低有关。结论：抑郁症是一种自我调节障碍，自我控制资源损耗显著降低了抑郁个体抵制诱惑的能力。 Objective: To examine the role of self-regulatory resource depletion on temptation resistance among depressed and normal population. Methods: Measuring depressive symptoms, using clas-sical experimental paradigm of self-depletion, we examined the differential effect of self-depletion on temptation resistance among depressed and normal populations. Results: Compared with non-depleted participants, the depleted participants were less likely to resist food temptation (F(1) = 5.60, P = 0.020); depressive symptoms and self-depletion have significant interactive effect on temptation resistance (F(1) = 4.88, P = 0.030). Compared with normal participants, depressed participants were less likely to resist food temptation under self-depleted condition (MDepressed = 16.58 ± 5.40, MNormal = 13.35 ± 4.76); however, there was no significant difference between normal and depressed participants under non-depleted condition (MDepressed = 12.00 ± 3.14, MNormal = 13.19 ± 4.50). The differential effects of self-depletion between normal and depressed population could be explained by the lowered inhibition threshold in depressed participants. Conclusion: Depression could be viewed as a self-regulatory disorder; self-regulatory resource depletion significantly reduced the likelihood of temptation resistance among depressed population.