“My Goal Is to Lose 2.923 kg!”—Efficacy of Precise Versus Round Goals for Body Weight Reduction

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschungbegutachtet

Authors

Overweight individuals often struggle to lose weight. While previous studies established goal setting as an effective strategy for weight loss, little is known about the effects of numeric goal precision. The present research investigated whether and how the precision of weight loss goals—the number of trailing zeros—impacts a goal’s effectiveness. In two preregistered, longitudinal experiments, we contrasted competing predictions as to whether precise (e.g., 2.923 kg) or round (e.g., 3.000 kg) goals are more effective compared to a waiting control condition. In Experiment 1 (N = 121), participants in the two goal conditions lost more weight compared to the control condition—an effect that was mainly driven by precise (rather than round) goals. In Experiment 2 (N = 150), we sought to replicate this effect but found no significant weight loss differences. An individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis across both experiments revealed that (a) the goal groups jointly lost more weight than the waiting control group and (b) the precise and round goal groups did not differ in weight loss success. An IPD-based multiple mediation analysis showed that healthier eating, but not physical exercise accounted for goal-setting-induced weight loss. We discuss possible explanations for the null findings in Experiment 2 and highlight directions for future research.

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer793962
ZeitschriftFrontiers in Psychology
Jahrgang13
Anzahl der Seiten12
ISSN1664-1078
DOIs
PublikationsstatusErschienen - 07.02.2022

Bibliographische Notiz

The research was supported by a grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG LO 2201/2-1) which was awarded to DL and MF.

Copyright © 2022 Frech, Friese and Loschelder.

Dokumente

DOI

Zuletzt angesehen

Publikationen

  1. Risikobewusste Planung
  2. Betriebsgrößenbedingte Unterschiede in der Personalarbeit von Unternehmen
  3. Female Bodybuilding and Patriarchal Civilization. The Intrusion of a Practice in Sport into Artistic Fields and Visual Culture
  4. Aufbau der Evaluation
  5. Accounting for work conditions from modern slavery to decent work
  6. Rußland und die Dritte Welt
  7. Gemeinsames Lernen von Studierenden, Lehramtsanwärtern und Lehrenden
  8. Biodiversity assessments
  9. The Role of an SME’s Green Strategy in Public-Private Eco-innovation Initiatives: The Case of Ecoprofit
  10. Erleben, Verstehen, Vergleichen
  11. Earth stewardship: Shaping a sustainable future through interacting policy and norm shifts
  12. Segment profitability in the leisure industry
  13. In situ air-water and particle-water partitioning of perfluorocarboxylic acids, perfluorosulfonic acids and perfluorooctyl sulfonamide at a wastewater treatment plant
  14. Transformation of Seafood Side-Streams and Residuals into Valuable Products
  15. Was erklärt hohe Arbeitseinkommen der Selbstständigen?
  16. Die Liste der "Gottbegnadeten".
  17. Online intervention for prevention of major depression
  18. Plattform-Urbanismus.
  19. Lösungsplan in Schülerhand
  20. The genetic status of the violet copper Lycaena helle - a relict of the cold past in times of global warming
  21. Nine Degrees of Uncertainty in Negotiations
  22. Biased consumers' hypotheses on price-quality-relationships: Influences of numerical anchors
  23. Eilaufträge logistisch beherrschen
  24. Global research landscape of sustainability curricula implementation in higher education
  25. Adapting energy infrastructure to climate change - Is there a need for government interventions and legal obligations within the German "energiewende"?
  26. Das Itinerar der Dinge – Objekte und ihre Ordnung
  27. Identification of an immunodominant H-2Db-restricted CTL epitope of human PSA