Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Psychol Health. 2012 Oct;27 Suppl 2:43-58. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2011.626038. Epub 2011 Dec 12.
Mentally contrasting a desired future with present reality standing in its way promotes commitment to feasible goals, whereas mentally indulging in a desired future does not. Dieting students (N = 134) reported their most important dieting wish that they deemed attainable within a 2-week period. Then, they were directed to mentally contrast or indulge in thoughts and images about the named dieting wish. A control condition was given no directions. Two weeks after the experiment, dieters retrospectively rated their behaviour change: in the mental contrasting condition they reported having eaten relatively fewer calories overall, fewer high-calorie food and more low-calorie food compared to those in the indulging and control conditions, and they also reported having been more physically active. This transfer effect from one health domain to another suggests a more generalised effect of mental contrasting versus indulging and control than previously assumed.
将期望的未来与目前阻碍其实现的现实进行心理对比，有助于人们对可行的目标做出承诺，而仅仅对期望的未来进行心理想象则不会。节食学生（N=134）报告了他们认为在两周内可以实现的最重要的节食愿望。然后，他们被要求对该节食愿望进行心理对比或心理想象。控制组则没有得到任何指导。实验两周后，节食者回顾了他们的行为改变：与心理想象组和控制组相比，心理对比组的人总体上报告摄入的卡路里更少，高热量食物更少，低热量食物更多，而且他们也报告说自己更活跃。这种从一个健康领域到另一个健康领域的转移效应表明，与心理想象和控制相比，心理对比产生的效果更具有普遍性。
