One of my new favorite books is SWITCH by Chip Heath and Dan
Health. It is not really about health and fitness, but change. I like it so much I bought the hard copy and
later CD. The authors report on research projects……..with movie goers and popcorn. As people entered the theater after agreeing
to be a part of this study, they were given huge tubs of popcorn. Some were given extra-large tubs of popcorn
and others were given large tubs of popcorn.
Everyone was given more that they could possibly eat. This popcorn was special. It was old and stale. It was so stale that it made squeaky noises
as they ate it. After the movie they
were asked to come back for a few questions. Everybody complained about the popcorn. They said it was the worse they had ever
eaten. A few people forgetting that it
was free asked for a refund. However, even
though the popcorn was so stale it squeaked, the movie goers ate it and the
people with the larger tubs of popcorn ate more popcorn. We have often heard that if weight loss is an
issue, try a salad plate for dinner instead of a dinner plate. The temptation is less to eat more than
necessary. It may just work.
