DonCha Dare Not Think Chocolates

            Imagine yourself being stressed out after taking a mind-boggling exam and the only thing that pops out to your mind as one way of saving yourself is eating your favorite chocolate but oops! You are on a chocolate fasting! At that time, we do everything for us not to think of chocolate or encounter anything related to chocolates. However, for chocoholics on diet, it is very difficult or should we say, suicidal. We avoid thinking about chocolates so that we might be successful not to take even a bite. But have you realized that the more you avoid thinking of yourself eating chocolate, the more you crave for it, the more you think of ways to get some for yourself, the more you think also of counter arguments that would make you break your chocolate fasting for the moment?

            A recent study by Erskine & Georgiou, (2010) about thought suppression showed that there is a greater tendency for an action to occur if the thought of doing it is suppressed. Participants were randomly grouped into three where in the first group told to suppress thoughts of chocolates, the second group was told to think of chocolates and the third was told to think of anything they wished for. Without knowing that the amount of chocolate consumed was rated, they were told to rate two brands of chocolate on several taste characteristics. Surprisingly, the group who was told to suppress thoughts of chocolates were the ones who significantly consumed more than those who were thinking of chocolates.

           Such could be the big reason why people who avoid thinking of chocolates are the ones who have the strongest craving for it.

            This might be because of the occurrence of rebound effect of which unanticipated conflict arise when a particular thought, behavior or desire is suppressed. Rebound effect happens because striving vigorously to divert thoughts from chocolate make the desire dissipate but after a period of time, however, this desire or craving returns, stronger than was the craving experienced before the thought of eating was suppressed (Wenzlaff & Bates, 2000 as cited in Moss, 2008).

            To resolve this, it is better to entertain thoughts of eating chocolate and asking yourself for the reason of your desire for it. For many times, when we respond to these thoughts, we often decrease the tendency of doing such. There would no conflict inside of you that is usually solved by finally getting a bar of chocolate. Thus, in your next chocolate diet, you will be more successful if you imagine chocolates.

Sources:

Erskine, J.A. & Georgiu, G.J. (2010). Effects of thought suppression on eating behaviour in restrained and non-restrained eaters. Appetite, 54(3), 499-503. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20152872

Moss, S. (2008). Ironic rebound effect. Psychlopedia: Everything Psychology. Retrieved August 12, 2012, from www.psych-it.com.au/Psychlopedia/article.asp?id=133