Abstract

Many researchers have emphasized the importance of self-control in alcohol use and consumption, but there is a constant controversy about the role of self-control in the situation of ego depletion. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between self-control and alcohol intake by inducing ego depletion in a manner that suppresses the emotion in college students. A preliminary survey was conducted in 300 college students, and 40 students with high level of self-control and 38 students with low level of self-control were selected. They were assigned to either the depletion or non-depletion conditions by ensuring similarity between gender, age, grade, and drinking behavior(quantity, frequency, and speed). The results showed that the high self-control group consumed more alcohol in the depletion condition, which was significantly different from the non-depletion condition. On the other hand, the low self-control group consumed more alcohol in the non-depletion condition, but it was not significantly different from the depletion condition. Based on these findings, the implications and limitations of this study and suggestions for future research were discussed.