We’re going to play a game.

Grab your wallet and pull out $10. Ten measly dollars.

Now take that money and set it in front of you. What if I told you you could double this with diet and exercise?

Not that convincing? What if I told you, if you don’t  lose 10 lbs, I’m going to take this money away from you?

Which game would motivate you more?

In broader terms this is known as the Negativity Bias.  We’ve learned that negative emotions, like losing money, outweigh positive one’s by a ratio of 3:1.

This has been found in relationships, where for every three good things you do, one bad thing just as quickly wipes it away.

Now people are trying to use this to benefit others. Google’s designers even mentioned they use this 3:1 principle when implementing new features on phones.

But how can this benefit the health of the public?

DietBet thinks they’ve found a way.

Never mind the name sounds eerily similar to Diabetic. The core of this company is a betting company for losing weight.

I could explain the details one by one but I’d rather their marketing department handle that burden. Hit the jump.

Despite interesting choice of buzz words like “social dieting” this actually seems like a brilliant idea, if you need that extra motivation.

Especially for those struggling to stay on a routine, betting against yourself might be the easiest way to actually make your efforts pay off.

Be good to each other.

– Joshua Iufer