Nutrition

With bathing suit season around the corner, who won't be shifting into diet mode? To increase your chances for success, try starting on a carefree day.

According to researchers at Case Western Reserve University, self control is a scarce and easily depleted resource: If we use self-restraint during one activity, we may not have enough left over for another. "We can't control too many things at once, because they all draw on the same limited capacity," says Case psychologist Ellen Bratslavsky, Ph.D. So if you've just barely resisted telling off your toss at a lunch meeting, passing on the cheesecake after the meal may prove particularly tough.

Bratslavsky demonstrated this plight when she had 67 college students work alone on the tedious task of tracing geometric figures for as long as they could--while a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies sat enticingly nearby. Students allowed to sample the cookies before beginning the work spent an average of 19 minutes tracing before giving up. But those asked to ignore the cookies altogether spent only eight minutes on the task before calling it quits. Apparently, resisting the snack left them with little self-discipline to continue working.

While our willpower may give out in the short run, we can build it up through frequent use. "It's like a muscle," says Bratslavsky. "It gathers strength over time." So even if you give in to temptation tonight, there's hope for tomorrow.

Edited by Peter Doskoch

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