Social Psychology Network

Maintained by Scott Plous, Wesleyan University

Roy F. Baumeister

Roy F. Baumeister

I am currently interested in five different research topics:

(1) Self-control, choice, decision making. We have investigated how people regulate their emotions, resist temptation, break bad habits, and perform up to their potential -- and why they often fail to do so.
Related work shows how stressful and draining it can be to make choices.

(2) The need to belong. We have worked on how people respond to being rejected or excluded from social groups, as well as romantic heartbreak. Also, many psychological processes are based on the
desire to connect with other people.

(3) A series of studies of human sexuality has addressed questions such as how nature and culture influence people's sex drive, rape and sexual coercion, the cultural suppression of female sexuality, and how couples negotiate their sexual patterns.

(4) Consciousness, volition, emotion, and "free will." We are beginning to do studies on the role of conscious processes in how people decide their actions. Does emotion cause behavior? Is the conscious experience of free choice an illusion?

(5) Irrationality and self-destructive behavior. An enduring theme of my work is why people do stupid things. Self-defeating behavior is the essence of irrationality and thus shows the limits of human rationality.

Primary Interests:

  • Aggression, Conflict, Peace
  • Close Relationships
  • Emotion, Mood, Affect
  • Gender Psychology
  • Helping, Prosocial Behavior
  • Interpersonal Processes
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Life Satisfaction, Well-Being
  • Personality, Individual Differences
  • Self and Identity
  • Sexuality, Sexual Orientation
  • Sociology, Social Networks

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Willpower: Self-Control, Decision Fatigue, and Energy Depletion

Select video to watch

  • 59:22

    Willpower: Self-Control, Decision Fatigue, and Energy Depletion


  • 23:45

    The Science of Willpower


  • 15:30

    What Makes Us Human? (TEDx talk)


  • 8:5

    What Is Self-Awareness?


  • 9:46

    Self-Control and Willpower


  • 1:56

    Why We Focus on the Negative


  • 16:23

    Self-Regulation and Emotion


  • 1:00:55

    Overcoming Negativity and the Secrets of Self Control


  • 07:14

    What Is Intentionality?


  • 2:38

    Big Questions in Free Will


  • 2:29

    Free Will and Moral Responsibility


  • 64:2

    Thinking About the Future


  • 57:1

    Think About the Future


  • 27:23

    Willpower and How to Make It Work for You


  • 8:23

    Human Mind and Society


  • 7:0

    Free Will and Decision Making



Books:

Journal Articles:

Courses Taught:

  • Advanced Social Psychology
  • Interdisciplinary Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Roy F. Baumeister
Department of Psychology
Florida State University
1107 Call Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4301
United States of America

  • Phone: (850) 644-4200
  • Fax: (850) 644-7739

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