Word: selfing
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Before the investigators served up a morsel, they had their volunteers complete a standard behavioral questionnaire designed to measure self-control. "The survey covers a whole spectrum of human behaviors, including such things as shopping and drinking," says Keith Wilcox, a Ph.D. candidate at the City University of New York and one of the study's authors. "We tailored it so it would also be food-specific...
...only three items: chicken nuggets, french fries and a baked potato. To eliminate the confounding variable of money, the researchers told the volunteers that all items cost the same. People generally agreed that the fries seemed like the least healthy choice, and no surprise, those who scored highest in self-control were the least likely to choose the food. After that group left, another one was brought in and offered the same three choices, but this time a salad was added to the mix. In this case you'd expect the self-controlled folks to stampede for the greens...
...sandwich and a fish sandwich, with a veggie burger thrown in later as a ringer; for the other it was fudge-covered Oreos, plus two other types of Oreos, with a 100-cal. Oreo packet later added to the menu. In each case, the folks who rated high in self-control did a good job of making the healthiest choices they could - until a truly healthy option was presented, which is when they fell completely off the wagon...
Wilcox thinks the mechanism at work here is what's known as "vicarious goal fulfillment." People who excel at self-control are very good at remaining mindful of an objective and keeping it in focus. When that goal is, say, finishing a term paper, they outperform other people at ignoring distracting options like going to a movie. When that goal is eating well, they're better at resisting distractions like ice cream and pizza. But when a virtuous choice is actually made available, the goal may feel fulfilled even when it hasn't been. Once they have that illusion that...
...only people with high self-control who slip up this way - and that can lead to real problems. In the real world, menus contain a lot more than just four options, and anyone confronted with a plate of greens may be tempted to plunge even deeper into the high-calorie, high-fat wasteland that lies beyond mere french fries and Oreos. What's more, vicarious goal fulfillment plays out in subtler ways too. People who are mindful about staying active and working out often notice that on days when they've gone to the gym, they're more inclined...