Resisting the sirens of temptation while studying : using reappraisal to increase focus, enthusiasm and performance

Leroy, Véronique [UCL] Grégoire, Jacques [UCL] Magen, Eran [University of Pennsylvania, USA] Gross, James [Stanford University, USA] Mikolajczak, Moïra [UCL]

One of the major obstacles in the learning process is temptation, which has the power to divert students from even their most important goals (e.g. getting a degree). In two studies, we tested the hypothesis that cognitive reappraisal could be used to successfully resist temptation. Participants had to memorize tedious material while being tempted by pictures pasted on the wall (Study 1) or by funny clips on the television (Study 2). In Study 1, compared to a control group, participants who were instructed to reappraise the task as an opportunity to improve their memory were less tempted by the pictures, maintained their enthusiasm for the task, and showed better performance in a subsequent memory test. Study 2 replicated and extended the findings from Study 1, showing that cognitive reappraisal is effective whether the target of reappraisal is the temptation itself, or the longer term goal. Taken together, our findings provide compelling evidence that cognitive reappraisal (of either the task or the temptation) may be a useful tool for increasing students' task performance and enthusiasm.