The “Sprinter effect”: When self-control and involvement stand in the way of sequential performance

This research examines the joint effect of dispositional self-control and situational involvement on performance in two successive resource-demanding tasks. We demonstrate that being highly involved and having high self-control facilitates high performance in the first task but, contrary to intuition, may jeopardize performance in a second, unexpected task. We term this the “sprinter effect” and demonstrate it in both lab and field settings. We further explore how a “marathon” mindset can debias this effect.

Research Highlights► High self-controlled consumers with high involvement exhibit a surprising drop in performance. ► These consumers exert extensive resources in a given resource-demanding task. ► When faced with a second, unexpected task - they are left with insufficient resources. ► Pre-informing about the upcoming tasks, allows activation of a resource reservation strategy. ► This strategy prevents depletion and facilitates adequate performance in the second task.