| The Power of Temptation |
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| Tuesday, 18 August 2009 19:12 | |||
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If you have ever watched a season of Survivor or Biggest Loser you have seen the contestants put in a situation that will will test their will power to resist accepting something that will give them no advantage towards winning the game. In fact it may even hurt their chances at continuing, let alone winning. Usually the temptation is food. There is a reason for this common type of "Temptation Challenge." It is because people regularly give in to self defeating and self destructive behavior, especially those that think they have the greatest will to resist.Researchers at the Kellogg School of Management studied how someone's belief in their ability to control impulses influenced actual responses to temptation. They found that those with the most confidence were the most likely to give in to temptation. One of the reasons for this is because those confident individuals would allow themselves to be exposed to more tempting situations. Some of the consequences of this behavior are easily seen when you take a look around: unhealthy people, obesity, the need for more and more disabled parking spaces, high divorce rates, the need for weight loss surgery, people still using tobacco products! Too many people are lacking the will power to do what is needed for optimum health- eat right, exercise, and break certain bad habits. And now this study has shown that even if you have great intentions and believe you have the willpower and determination, you might be fooling yourself. Sometimes it is not enough to hold yourself accountable, you may need the help of someone else for accountability. I hear it all the time, people who mean to eat well but go overboard at the buffet. People who meant to go work out but lost track of time while with friends. If you know you have a sweet tooth, avoid the bakery and candy shop, one bite may lead to one dozen. If you got out of shape from too much fast food, don't go through the drive through thinking you'll just get a salad and water. You might wind up gobbling down a double cheeseburger before you know what happened. If you are not hooked on the fun and euphoric feel you get from exercise, don't sit on the couch "for just one show" or check "a couple of emails" before you work out. Next thing you know it will be time for dinner, then time for bed and you missed the chance to exercise. Keep yourself away from the tempting situations and don't overestimate your ability to control your urges.
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