Looking for a way to dampen your appetite? Imagine eating. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found that people who visualize themselves eating a certain food before given the opportunity to eat that food will eat less of that food when dinner time comes than people who have not done the visualization exercise. Science reports on the research, for which 51 students were fed M&Ms and cheese cubes. In one experiment, the magazine reports, participants imagined performing 33 repetitive motions: Half of them imagined eating 30 M&Ms and inserting three quarters into the slot of a laundry machine. The other half envisioned eating three M&Ms and inserting 30 quarters. Then everyone was allowed to eat their fill from a bowl of M&Ms. Those who had envisioned eating more candy ate about three M&Ms on average (or about 2.2 grams), whereas the others ate about five M&Ms (or about 4.2 grams). Next, Science reports, the researchers brought in the cheese. As in the M&M experiment, people who imagined eating 30 cheese cubes consumed less of the real thing. But volunteers who imagined eating 30 M&Ms ate the same amount of cheese as those who imagined eating three M&Ms. So, it seems, the habituation effect–the scientific name for getting tired of something– is specific to the type of food imagined.
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Saturday, May 31, 2025
(habituation) It sounds like mind over matter to me.(Imagined)-(envisioned)-(visualize)-(think about)I got it! You get a headache and don’t wont to eat.I imagine it could work.I visualize a room full of people getting tired of something that they haven’t eaten yet! Come on guys!this is some funny stuff! Not only that,these people at Carnegie (Mellon) University get paid tax dollars to do this kind of research? WOW! I’m impressed! Have a Blessed Day,and remember,”Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind”. Yea!!
Interesting. Somewhat counter-intuitive, but worth a whirl. Thanks!