Ego depletion is our tendency to make easy, impulsive, selfish choices and superficial judgements when our System 2 is exhausted. This occurs when people have to show self-control (e.g. holding back an emotional response) and/or are engaged in cognitive effort (e.g. mental maths or dealing with complex problems).

Ego depletion is our tendency to make easy, impulsive, selfish choices and superficial judgements when our System 2 is exhausted. This occurs when people have to show self-control (e.g. holding back an emotional response) and/or are engaged in cognitive effort (e.g. mental maths or dealing with complex problems).