"I'll just have a taste," she says. BEWARE! This small act of indulgence can cause a cascade of emotional triggers that may be the reason you never seem to reach your health and fitness goals.
A recent study examined goals and behavior in consumers and found that shortly after people ate a chocolate truffle they desired ice cream, pizza, and potato chips more than people who were told to resist eating a truffle. It appears that the idea of having just "a little bite" to prevent you from eating more later has likely not been working for you. "Consumers many times may perceive that small acts will be enough to stop cravings of fatty food items, but our research shows that small acts may lead people to unconsciously seek more indulgence," the authors conclude.
The study goes further to state that when people were allowed to eat a truffle, this act in itself unconsciously activated a goal of indulgence. Similarly, the act of resisting the truffle activated a health goal. Interestingly, once people felt their goals were met (either health or indulgence goals), they tended to reverse their behaviors. For example, when those who resisted the truffle were told they did a good job, they indicated that they desired fatty foods more than healthy foods.
Bottom Line: small acts of indulgence will likely lead to larger ones.
