The Science of Self-Control

[bradburyplayer]

The Science of Self-Control by Howard Rachlin is a very good read if you are looking for a scientific support for the No S Diet. I read it on kindle so it was half price.

It is a challenging text book and not a self-help book, but the scientist uses a down to earth voice and a lot of easy to understand experiments to illustrate the science. I just skipped the math and economic examples, hehe.

As for how it applies to No S, it talks about how moderation is actually the most difficult type of self-control. It talks about the importance of creating arbitrary rules that create moderation through strictness. Rachlin says that because abstinence is actually easier than moderation (proving this argument is the main goal of the book) that people need to create arbitrary rules that are followed strictly (mimicking abstinence) but actually lead to an overall habit of moderation (such as No S Diet).

Most of the book is about our impulsive urges (X-axis) and our desire for overall healthy life habits (Y-axis). Self-control defined is when these two desires match.

What I got from the book overall is that a person cannot obtain the overall Y-axis by completely ignoring the impulsive X-axis. Rachlin proves why the X axis is so much stronger and must be appeased. There is a lot more and too dense to summarize all here. He says at the end that his book is not a self-help book but perhaps could be a tool in identifying self-help books that actually appeal to the true science of self-control.

So if you are worried about the No S Diet being too lenient in any way, I would recommend reading the book. It will prove to you that No S, or other similar moderate, simple and strict rules, is really the only way for lifetime habit changes.

[oolala53]

Thanks for reporting on this. I'm always grateful and somewhat amazed that the principles of No S keep getting proved, though why it should surprise me, I don't know.