When it comes to overdoing it on this week's leftovers, you don’t need to calorie-count every cranberry. The mindset to keep you from devouring an entire pumpkin pie is, according to a new review in Personality and Social Psychology Review, no mindset at all: The more you think about it, the more likely you are to think yourself into that second piece.
“Humans are expert rationalizers,” says study author Jessie De Witt Huberts, PhD, of Utrecht University, who cites a growing body of research that explains why we’ll talk ourselves into anything from extra dessert to a day off to a pair of shoes we really don’t need. “It’s a widely held assumption that indulging without a justification will lead to feelings of guilt and regret,” she explains. But in fact, that couldn’t be further form the truth. For example, participants in a study who justified eating chocolate truffles (sign us up!) didn’t enjoy them any more than those who didn’t give themselves a good reason.
Don’t get us wrong—Thanksgiving is a perfectly good reason to indulge. But if you feel yourself justifying yet another glass of wine tomorrow, ask yourself two questions: First, is your validation even true (that is, is today an occasion that allows me to make an exception)? And second, does this help you reach your goal? “Even if the answer to the first question is affirmative, the second question might be the difference between one slice and the entire pie,” says Dr. Huberts.
Bottom line: The difference between a smart indulgence and going over the top is freeing your mind of rationalizations that make you eat more. The only thing you should be thinking about this holiday season is, friends, and good health—oh, and gravy. All the gravy.
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