The concept that self-control is a muscle that can be exhausted by use and strengthened by consistent use is controversial.

“The other thing that you mentioned is the possibility of exhaustion. And I find this really interesting because it's a highly controversial topic in social psychology. There was a big um boom of experiments um in the 2000s uh that suggested just what you're saying that self-control is kind of like a muscle and if I use it for one type of task, I exhaust it for all others and I have to wait in order for it to recharge before I can do use it again. Much like any other muscle.”