59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot (11 page)

Other researchers have developed “super-strength” visualization tools that aim to combine the motivational effects of imagining yourself doing well with the practical benefits associated with thinking about whatever is required to achieve your aim. Much of this research has been conducted by Gabriele Oettingen at the University of Pennsylvania and involves a little bit of Orwellian doublethink.

In
1984
, George Orwell introduced the concept of “doublethink,” describing it as simultaneously holding two opposing beliefs in your mind and yet accepting both. In Orwell’s novel, this technique was used by a totalitarian government to continuously rewrite history and thus control the populace. However, recent research has shown that the same type of idea can be used in a more productive way, helping people to achieve their goals and ambitions. Oettingen speculated that one of the most effective states of mind involves people being
optimistic about achieving their goal but also realistic about some of the problems that they may encounter. To investigate, she developed a novel procedure that encouraged people to hold both types of thought in mind, and she then carried out a series of studies to assess its effectiveness.

The procedure is simple. People are asked to think about something they want to achieve, such as losing weight, learning a new skill, or changing their drinking habits. Next, they are told to spend a few moments fantasizing about reaching the goal and to note the top two benefits that would flow from such an achievement. After this, they are asked to spend another few moments reflecting on the kinds of barriers and problems that they are likely to encounter if they attempt to fulfill their ambition, and again, make a note of the top two issues. Now comes the doublethink. People are asked to reflect on their first benefit, elaborating on how it would make their life more enjoyable. Immediately afterward, they are asked to think about the biggest hurdle to such success, focusing on what they would do if they encountered the difficulty. Then they repeat the same process for the second positive aspect of achieving their aim and the second potential problem.

In several experiments, Oettingen discovered that this procedure provides the best of both worlds. When people focused on an existing relationship that they wanted to improve, those engaging in doublethink were more successful than those who just fantasized or focused on the negatives.
¹³
Returning to the theme of romance, she applied the doublethink procedure to students harboring a secret crush. Those who employed the fantasy-reality technique were more successful than those who merely dreamed about their perfect date or dwelled solely on the difficulties of revealing their true feelings.
¹⁴
Additional
work has used the doublethink procedure to encourage employees to become more involved in training courses; nurses to build better relationships with patients’ family members and show greater commitment to best practice; and middle managers to make better decisions, delegate more effectively, and improve their time-management skills.
¹⁵

The research shows that it
is
possible to use visualization to motivate. The solution is a question of balance, interleaving the benefits of achievement with a realistic assessment of the problems that could be encountered. In short, doublethink.

IN 59 SECONDS

The following procedure, based on the doublethink procedure, can be used to motivate you to achieve your goals and persevere in the face of difficulties.

1. What is your goal?

2. Potential benefits and setbacks

QUESTION A

Write down one word that would reflect an important way in which your life would be better if you achieved your goal.

QUESTION B

Write down one word that would reflect a significant barrier that stands in the way of achieving your goal.

QUESTION C

Write down one word that would reflect another important way in which your life would be better if you achieved your goal.

QUESTION D

Write down one word that would reflect another significant barrier that stands in the way of achieving your goal.

3. Elaboration

Elaborate your answer to Question A.

Imagine all of the benefits that would flow from this achievement and note your ideas in the space below.

Elaborate your answer to Question B.

Imagine how the obstacle hinders achievement and the steps that you would take to deal with it and note your ideas in the space below.

Elaborate your answer to Question C.

Imagine all of the benefits that would flow from this achievement and note your ideas in the space below.

Elaborate your answer to Question D.

Imagine how the obstacle hinders achievement and the steps that you would take to deal with it and note your ideas in the space below.

DIETING AND DRINKING

Surveys show that most people attempt to diet or to cut down on their drinking at some point in their lives. However, the same surveys also suggest that the vast majority fails, often blaming their downfall on a lack of motivation. Part of the problem is that people do not tend to follow their gut instincts when starting and stopping. Instead, they are unknowingly influenced by a wide range of factors. Brian Wansink at Cornell University has devoted his academic career to understanding some of the factors at work, and his results illustrate just how much irrationality surrounds the dinner table.

In one study Wansink and his colleagues speculated that
people’s decisions about whether to continue eating might be unconsciously determined by a surprisingly simple question: “Have I finished my food?”
¹⁶
Wansink therefore created a soup bowl with a special bottom, by which he could secretly and continuously refill the bowl via a concealed tube. Groups of participants sat around a table, chatting and tasting soup for twenty minutes, and then gave their opinion about the soup to the experimenters. Without being aware, half of them were taking their soup from a “bottomless bowl” that was being continuously refilled, while the others had normal bowls.

Those with the bottomless bowls consumed more than 75 percent more soup than those with a normal bowl. In addition, those who consumed more weren’t aware of how much they had eaten, and said that they were no less hungry than those who had consumed a normal portion.

However, there is some consolation in realizing that by understanding a few of the hidden factors that influence consumption, we can create quick but effective techniques for cutting the extent of our eating and drinking.

IN 59 SECONDS

The Power of Slow

Some research suggests that eating more slowly helps people eat less, perhaps because it fools our brains into thinking that we’ve eaten more and allows extra time for the body to digest food.
¹⁷
In an additional twist on this work, Corby Martin and his colleagues at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center had overweight participants eat a lunchtime meal at three different speeds: (1) their normal rate, (2) half their normal rate, or (3) their normal rate to begin with, followed by half their normal rate.
¹⁸
Eating at the slower
rate resulted in men, but not women, eating less. However, starting the meal at a normal rate of eating and then dropping to the slower rate caused both men and women to experience a large reduction in their appetite. The normal-slow combination was even more effective than eating slowly all the way through the meal, suggesting that the secret to feeling satisfied is to start at your normal speed but then savor each and every mouthful.

Make Mine a Tall, Thin One

Brian Wansink and Koert van Ittersum, at Cornell University, asked students to pour a single shot of whiskey from a full bottle into a glass.
¹⁹
Those given a short, wide glass poured, on average, 30 percent larger shots than those given a tall, narrower glass. It seems that people used the depth of the liquid as an indicator of the amount of liquid in the glass, not noticing that one glass was far wider than the other. The researchers then repeated the experiment with experienced bartenders and discovered that they poured, on average, 20 percent larger shots into the short, wide glass. If you want to reduce your drinking, stay away from short, wide glasses and stick to tall, narrow ones.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Research shows that just placing food or drink out of sight or moving it a few feet away can have a big effect on consumption. In a series of studies, experimenters strategically placed jars of chocolates around an office and carefully counted how many were consumed.
²⁰
In one condition, they compared placing the jars on people’s desks with moving them just six feet away. In another, they placed the chocolates in either transparent or opaque jars. Placing the chocolates on people’s desks resulted in the staff’s consuming an average of six more chocolates per person each day, and the chocolates in transparent jars were eaten 46 percent more quickly than those in opaque jars. A similar principle applies to food around
the house. In another study (described in the snappily titled paper “When Are Stockpiled Products Consumed Faster? A Convenience-Salience Framework of Post-Purchase Consumption Incidence and Quantity”), researchers stocked people’s homes with either large or moderate quantities of ready-to-eat meals and discovered that the food was eaten at twice the rate in the overstocked homes.
²¹
To cut intake, make sure that tempting foods are out of sight, stored in a place that is difficult to access, such as a high cabinet or the basement.

Focus, Focus, Focus

People eat significantly more when they are distracted at mealtimes and therefore are not paying attention to their food. In one experiment, the amount of attention that moviegoers paid to a film was related to how much popcorn they consumed. Those who were more absorbed by the movie ate significantly larger amounts.
²²
In another experiment, people who listened to a detective story during their lunchtime ate 15 percent more food than those who sat in silence.
²³
Distractions while eating, such as watching television, reading a magazine, or even chatting with others, encourage people to consume more.

Beware of Large Bowls

Is the amount you eat influenced by the size of bowls and spoons? A few years ago, Brian Wansink invited a group of friends to a party at which he secretly conducted an experiment.
²⁴
Each guest was randomly handed either a 17- or 34-ounce bowl and a 2- or 3-ounce spoon. The guests then helped themselves to ice cream. However, seconds before they took their first mouthful, the researchers snatched the bowls and weighed them. The results revealed that those given the large spoons and large bowls had, on average, taken 14 percent and 31 percent more ice cream than their modestly equipped companions did. Andrew Geier and his
colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrated that the effect is not confined to ice cream and parties.
²⁵
In their study, a bowl of M&M’s was left in the hallway of an apartment building, along with a spoon and a sign saying, “Eat your fill: please use the spoon to serve yourself.” On some days the experimenters placed a tablespoon-sized scoop next to the bowl, and on others they used a larger scoop. The findings revealed that the larger spoon caused people to take almost twice as many M&M’s from the bowl. Try cutting down on your eating by using smaller bowls, plates, and cutlery.

Keep a Food Diary

Research conducted by Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research suggests that making a note of how much you eat can help you lose weight.
²⁶
During the study, participants who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept none. You don’t need to turn into a veritable Samuel Pepys to gain the benefits; just scribbling down what you eat on a Post-it note or sending yourself an e-mail has the same effect. According to the theory, becoming aware of what you are eating on a daily basis will help you break old habits and consume less.

Regret and Reflection

Not happy with your body but finding it difficult to motivate yourself to go to the gym? Try harnessing the power of regret and avoiding reflection. Research conducted by Charles Abraham and Paschal Sheeran has shown that just a few moments’ thinking about how much you will regret
not
going to the gym will help motivate you to climb off the couch and onto an exercise bike.
²⁷
And once you get there, avoid those imposing floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Other work, by Kathleen Martin Ginis and her colleagues at McMaster University, compared people pedaling on an exercise cycle in front of a mirror to those pedaling in front of a bare wall.
The results revealed that the group who constantly saw themselves in the mirror ended up feeling significantly less revitalized and more exhausted than the group who faced the wall. Researchers believe that the mirrors may encourage people to focus on their less-than-perfect bodies and consequently to do more harm than good.
²⁸

Use More Energy

Think about how you could burn more calories by making small changes to your everyday routine. It might be something as simple as using wax polish rather than a spray during housework (rubbing is a far more energy-consuming activity than spraying), ensuring that you have to use the stairs more often (e.g., not taking the elevator at work or alternating floors when doing housework), or listening to upbeat music to encourage vigorous movement when you are walking or mowing the lawn.