Losing Weight for the HolidaysThe Power of Projection

I often blog about the role projection plays in public opinion.  For the budding media scholars out there, this can range from the third-person effect to false consensus to pluralistic ignorance to, well, a bunch of others.  In other words, as the character Prince Lucifer said in a play: "Public opinion is no more than this, what people think other people think."  And we often project our own opinions on what other people think.

Yeah, fine Hollander, but what's this about losing weight?

This story by NPR explores the power of imagination and projection in reducing how many M&Ms are eaten.  It's a neat experiment.  Read about it, or listen to the audio, yourself.  Good stuff.

The lesson?  Imagine all those Christmas cookies -- before you actually bake 'em.