The 4-Hour Body_ An Uncommon Guide to Ra - Timothy Ferriss [28]
If someone uploads only a couple of runs to the site, they might just be trying it out. But once they hit five runs, they’re massively more likely to keep running and uploading data. At five runs, they’ve gotten hooked on what their data tells them about themselves.
Aristotle had it right, but he was missing a number: “We are what we do repeatedly.” A mere five times (five workouts, five meals, five of whatever we want) will be our goal.
When in doubt, “take five” is the rule.
3. MAKE IT COMPETITIVE:
FEAR OF LOSS AND THE BENEFITS OF COMPARISON
Would you work harder to earn $100 or to avoid losing $100? If research from the Center for Experimental Social Science at New York University is any indication, fear of loss is the winner.
Their three-group experiment looked like this: the first group received $15 and was told the $15 would be taken back if they lost a subsequent auction; the second group was told they’d be given $15 if they won the auction; and the third group was a control with no incentive. The first group routinely overbid the most.
Participating economist Eric Schotter explained the results:
Economists typically attribute excessive bidding to risk aversion, or the joy of winning. What we found is that the actual cause of overbidding is a fear of losing, a completely new theory from past investigations.
This is not a depressing realization. It’s a useful one. Knowing that potential loss is a greater motivator than potential reward, we can set you up for success by including a tangible risk of public failure. Real weight-loss numbers support this. Examining random 500-person samples from the 500,000+ users of DailyBurn, a diet and exercise tracking website, those who compete against their peers in “challenges” lose an average of 5.9 pounds more than those who do not compete.
There is another phenomenon that makes groups an ideal environment for change: social comparison theory. In plain English, it means that, in a group, some people will do worse than you (“Sarah lost only one pound—good for me!”) and others will do better (“Mike’s nothing special. If he can do it, so can I.”). Seeing inferior performers makes you proud of even minor progress, and superior performers in your peer group make greater results seem achievable.
Looking at DailyBurn’s data set, those who have three or more “motivators” in their peer group lose an average of 5.8 pounds more than those with fewer.
Embrace peer pressure. It’s not just for kids.
4. MAKE IT SMALL AND TEMPORARY
That brings us to your most important next steps, detailed below.
Questions and Actions
Before you move on to another chapter, take (or in the case of #2, start) at least two of the following four actions. Your choice:
1. Do I really look like that in underwear? Take digital photos of yourself from the front, back, and side. Wear either underwear or a bathing suit. Not eager to ask a neighbor for a favor? Use a camera with a timer or a computer webcam like the Mac iSight. Put the least flattering “before” photo somewhere you will see it often: the refrigerator, bathroom mirror, dog’s forehead, etc.
2. Do I really eat that? Use a digital camera or camera phone to take photographs of everything you eat for 3–5 days, preferably including at least one weekend day. For sizing, put your hand next to each item or plate in the photographs. For maximum effect, put these photos online for others to see.
3. Who can I get to do this with me? Find at least one person to engage in a friendly competition using either total inches (TI) or bodyfat percentage. Weight is a poor substitute but another option. Use competitive drive, guilt, and fear of humiliation to your advantage. Embrace the stick. The carrot is overrated.
4. How do I measure up? Get a simple tape measure and measure five locations: both upper arms (mid-bicep), waist (horizontal at navel), hips (widest point between navel and legs), and both legs (mid-thigh). Total these numbers to arrive at your total inches (TI). I’m telling you again because I know