Impulsive eaters take note. Remembering past attempts of diet failure might actually boost your ability to make healthier decisions in future, a new study suggests. Conducted by a number of authors from universities in Michigan, Hong Kong and Chicago, the study found that impulsive eaters think and act differently than non-impulsive people after they remember a time when they resisted or succumbed to temptation.
Participants were asked to recall instances when they resisted or gave into temptation, such as an unhealthy serve of fast food. While talking about these past experiences, people were given cookies or cheeseballs at the table, withouth being told that their consumption was being tracked. The authors reported they found “thinking about failure may actually beget success.”
TIP: If you are an impulsive eater, next time you’re faced with an opportunity to make an unhealthy decision you might regret, think about a past experience when you chose to eat the food, and later felt regret. Focus on how you felt after making the impulsive decision. This might make you less likely to indulge when faced with the same situation again, as you’re impulsive side will be forced to contemplate the past and better analyse the cost and benefit of the choice.
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