Expression of Values May Help Shed Pounds

According to a new study published in Psychological Science, the right kind of writing may facilitate losing weight. Participating women were given a list of significant values including creativity, religion, music and relationships, and asked to rank them in order of personal importance. Half the women were asked to write for 15 minutes about the value most important to them; the other half wrote about a value not among their most highly preferred but that might be important to someone else. The first group lost an average of 3.4 pounds during the next few months, while the second group gained an average of 2.8 pounds. Researchers think the weight loss may be due to increased self-esteem and strengthened resolve.