Hopeful Perspective Aids Healthy Diet | Psych Central News

Hopeful Perspective Aids Healthy Diet | Psych Central News: "The question remained as to why an individual who feels positive would be more likely to eat a candy bar rather than a piece of fruit. According to the authors, the difference is that positive feelings come from that thinking about the past or the present (pride and happiness) while hope is a projection to the future.

In the authors’ first study, hopeful participants consumed fewer M&Ms than people who experienced happiness.

In a second study, the authors found that consumers who were more focused on the past chose unhealthy snacks, even if they felt hope.

In the third study, the researchers shifted the time frame of the positive emotion (having participants feel hopeful about the past or having them experience pride in the future). “That is, if someone is anticipating feeling proud, she prefers fewer unhealthy snacks than someone experiencing pride,” the authors wrote.

Finally, the authors compared future-focused positive emotions (hopefulness, anticipated pride) to future-focused negative emotions (fear, anticipated shame). They found that the combination of positivity and future focus enhanced self-control."

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