Daily Smartphone Use as a Boundary Condition, which Strengthens the Adverse Effects of Self-control Demands on Need for Recovery

The present study examines the adverse consequences of work-related smartphone use from the perspective of self-control. Drawing on the Strength Model of Self-Control, which states that self-control depletes a limited regulatory resource and initial evidence that depletion effects can spill over to the next day, we propose lagged effects of work-related smartphone use in the evening on next-day need for recovery as an indicator of regulatory resource depletion after work. Furthermore, arguing that self-control demands and smartphone use jointly deplete the same limited resource, we suggest that work-related smartphone use reinforces the adverse effects of self-control demands at work on next-day need for recovery after work. The results from our daily diary study provide support for both hypotheses. Subsequently, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.