Calm Food Cravings Naturally with Visualization
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University conducted an experiment involving three groups of undergraduate students. Each group was told to imagine doing a task. The tasks to be imagined were as follows:
- Group 1 – Insert 30 quarters into a laundry machine, and then eat 3 M&Ms.
- Group 2 – Insert 3 quarters into a laundry machine, and then eat 30 M&Ms.
- Group 3 – Insert 33 quarters into a laundry machine.
After completing their assigned visualizations, the participants were allowed to eat as much as they wanted from a bowl of real M&Ms. Those who had imagined eating 30 M&Ms ate an average of only 3 real M&Ms from the bowl, while participants from the other two groups ate an average of 5.
The researchers then conducted a follow-up experiment in which participants were asked to imagine either eating 3 or 30 M&Ms or transferring the same number of M&Ms from one bowl to another. The participants were then allowed to eat as many real M&Ms as they liked. Consistent with the first experiment, participants who had imagined eating 30 M&Ms subsequently ate fewer real M&Ms than those who had imagined eating only 3. Participants who imagined transferring 30 M&Ms from one bowl to another, however, subsequently ate more real M&Ms than those who had imagined moving only 3. While the M&M cravings of the first group were dampened, the cravings of the second group were intensified.
Relevance to Natural Weight Loss:
Weight Loss Tip: To calm a food craving naturally, imagine eating large amounts of the craved food. Continue your visualization for several minutes, or until you feel the craving subside.