Chocolate @ MindSay 
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New Weapons in the War Between Willpower and Willy Wonka
Wilhelm Hofmann, like a lot of us, finds certain varieties of fine chocolate virtually irresistible. But the German psychologist, along with colleagues from the Netherlands and the United States, has discovered a creative way of decreasing the temptation to indulge.
Simply gaze at the delectable confection and think to yourself:
Wouldn't this make an excellent doorstop?
In two studies, "participants instructed to imagine a chocolate in a nonconsummatory manner exhibited significantly less automatic positivity with regard to the product," researchers report in the European Journal of Social Psychology. This suggests certain self-control strategies can affect the "impulsive, automatic pathways of behavior determination" that too often lead us to give into temptation.
The studies — one conducted in a laboratory, another via the Internet — are part of Hofmann's ongoing research on impulsivity and self-control. In an earlier paper, the University of Wurzberg assistant professor noted that many people "are torn between their long-term goals to restrain behavior and their immediate impulses that promote hedonic fulfillment." His work helps explain these competing forces and describes under what circumstances self-control is more likely to succeed.
For his most recent paper, Hofmann focuses on a popular German chocolate product marketed as "the white temptation." He describes the dessert in mouth-watering detail, noting "the chocolate has a spherical shape and can be described as a delicious composition of almonds and smooth milk crème surrounded by a crispy waffle and a fine white coconut coating."
Who could resist something so scrumptious? That was what he and his colleagues tried to ascertain in their first study. Seventy-one undergraduates from the University of Landau were shown samples of the candy and then assigned to one of three groups.
Those in the first group were asked to spend three minutes imagining how the chocolate would taste and feel in their mouths.
In contrast, those in the second group "were asked to imagine, as clearly and concretely as possible, odd or novel settings or uses for the chocolate." Those in the third group (the control group) read an unrelated text about South America.
Afterwards, an Implicit Association Test was used to measure the participants' automatic, impulsive evaluations of the chocolate. To conclude the study, participants offered their explicit opinions, rating the candy in terms of taste and overall enjoyment.
The results: Both the automatic and conscious evaluations of the chocolate were lower among those who were instructed to come up with creative uses for the product.
The second test, conducted via the Internet, featured 506 people, average age 35. While some participants duplicated the first study, others were instructed to visualize times and places where they would be tempted to indulge and then form a "clear intention on how to avoid eating the chocolate in these particular situations."
Once again, those who "cognitively transformed" the chocolate displayed less automatic positivity toward the palate-pleasing product. But the largest reduction in automatic positivity occurred among those who had visualized themselves saying "No thanks."
The researchers call these results encouraging, noting they suggest two different mental self-control strategies may be useful in fighting temptation. Of course, they only measured the short-term impact of these strategies; it's impossible to say how long they might continue to work.
Nevertheless, before accepting offers of Halloween candy or Christmas cookies during the upcoming holidays, it might be worth taking a moment to think of these sweets in a different way. This research suggests a tempting treat loses some of its allure when you've pondered its usefulness as a garden tool.
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THE OLD SATURDAY ROUTINE!
It's been officially EIGHT WEEKS since I shared a Saturday with Ash AND Shelly.
It's been far too long. I felt so bad for those two - they'd both seen me separatley, but neither of them had actually seen each other. They gave each other lots of hugs - but I got my fair share too. :)
Shelly also seemed to be encouraging me to torment Ash - she pinned her to the bed at one point and tugged her shirt up and we double-blarted her. That's a first. :)
We couldn't actually do our 3-man band on Guitar Hero though, because dozy Ash had forgotten her Wii remote.
I left those two playing pro-face offs against each other, because Shelly is determined to beat Ash now she thinks she's improved enough.
I went across the field to Asif's shop and bought myself some Cherry Coke.
The SKANKS - it's 93p now!
I remember when it was 75p... Then it went to 85p... Now it's 93p! Seriously... Why?
I also bought a big bar of Aero for us all to share and a few gumballs from the 10p machines near the door.
When I was blundering about downstairs getting out the glasses so Ash and Shelly could have a drink - the Pyrex jug decided it would commit suicide, so it leapt out of the cupboard and smashed at my feet.
I yelled all the swear words I knew. I didn't even TOUCH it! It just FELL!
I got shards of glass stuck in my hands picking up all the broken bits, and when I went upstairs to tell Ash and Shelly, they were too absorbed in GH to notice my pain.
That was the same when I burned my wrist on the oven too - they were bloody playing GH then as well!
I hoovered up all the shitty little bits that I couldn't pick up - then went back upstairs to watch them still battling it out.
I chose the songs for them - mainly ones I liked, but they also happened to be rather hard ones.
Shelly and Ash seem evenly matched to me now. :/
Then I wanted to play against Shelly - Hard VS Expert.
Ash is so weird, no matter what you're playing - she'll watch INTENTLY.
We did TTFAF, and I was beyond hyper.
I was TAPPING. I was tapping WELL! I didn't fuck it up anywhere near as much as I thought I would.
My top score is 79% when I'm not hyper - and I managed 74% absolutley buzzing off my head on sugar. :)
Then I took to breaking off pieces of Aero and feeding them to Ash and Shelly. I gave them most of it. :)
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Ash suggested I try and get further on a game from the wallet, and for some reason, we decided on Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee.
I was proper stuck in Paramonia outskirts, but oddly enough, I got a bit more motivated when I had an audience - and they both helped me with a couple of the puzzles.
I got into the temple and lit two of the flint locks. One room was reasonably hard and the other was fairly simple. Then I got stuck in one and we went downstairs to eat.
I made us toad in the hole with chips. Ash and I had chicken gravy and Shelly had beef gravy - I don't know what she has against chicken gravy - it's the best one. :)
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Our last few hours were spent cuddling up to each other on my bed and making stuff with my modelling clay.
Ash seemed to like the red, and she made a few random things with it. I don't know what it is with her - but even with dough, everything she makes that's artistic, you can just TELL she's done it. It has the Ash touch to it. :)
Then I embarrassed her unintentionally by telling her she'd bled through her trousers and it'd gone on my duvet cover. It wasn't a lot, just a little patch where she'd been laid. She seemed sad about it - but I cuddled her and told her not to worry about it.
Naturally, Shelly and I just had to get in a few friendly digs about it though. :)
It was funny in its own way.
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Ash wearing my jacket.
It just doesn't look right on her, lmfao. I'm the one who insisted she have her hair like that while I take the photo. :)
Ash's dough cat.
And Ash's rather creepy dough head. :)
I hope we get back into our Saturday routines again soon. They're a lot of fun.
I just can't wait for the weekend after my birthday - Friday and Saturday night with Adam, Ash and Shelly - Saturday night will be without the parents, and it'll be the return of the re-vamped dare cards game! :D
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Dixie currently feels:
Neutral
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Blog #65
Blood, Bloody & Bloodier!
Today has been the most meaningful session I've spent with Dianne yet.
I brought along a copy of Regenbogen Streifen and let her read it.
Together, I've discovered even more ambiguity and double-meanings to a lot of the sections.
For instance - the part I wrote about crossing the road mindlessly and being saved by a stranger before I was ran over - this actually refers to February 2008 where I attempted suicide by walking out into main road.
Though, the day I wrote Regenbogen Streifen, I was walking to the bus station - there was a disabled boy walking in front of me. I've seen him in college, I think he has Down's Syndrome, or something similar.
Either way, we got to a crossing, and I looked at him as if to say: "Hey, wait until I go over, then it'll be safe."- and he did; because I knew he'd have just went straight over otherwise.
I continued on, he still walking in front of me - until we came to a second crossing. He went to cross as traffic was still going by and the red man was still displayed - a woman behind us grabbed him by the arm and stopped him.
Also - the sections about sex - I refer to my hands as "useless appendages" - although the narrator is not gendered, the people they desire are clearly gendered as female. Obviously, it's written as myself, so it's from the perspective of a lesbian - but it could be viewed as a male desiring these females, and the "useless appendage" could refer to his penis.
We both agree that I'm far better in writing than I am verbally.
I know this myself, I communicate myself and my feelings across far better in writing than I do speaking.
This is why I'll only ever use text speak shorthand for comedic effect. Everything I write is written in continual prose - even on MSN and online forums I write in fully punctuated sentences.
I know my punctuation has a spazzy fit on my blog though - I use dashes in proper random places.
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After my session, I went and sat on the square tables - took out my sketchbook, plugged in Lisa and the "NEW PLAYLIST" (which I've recently updated), and wrote 3 pages of analysis to stick into my sketchbook.
When they're stuck in, I'll have completed around 10 pages.
My "NEW PLAYLIST" now has 170 songs, instead of the previous 150.
I deleted it totally and started again - this time adding some overlooked favourites.
Ashleigh and Shelly came into college not long before their A block lesson - sat with me for a while and talked.
One of the chairs was taken up by my tuppaware box - containing my 3 litres of fake blood.
Today was the day of my Photography exam, and I was absolutley shitting it.
While those two were in A block, I resorted to Solitaire.
I'd been distracted from my sketchbook work - and once that happens, it's difficult for me to get back into the right mindset to continue with it.
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After they'd came back - we all walked into town, first stopping off at the Dundas Arcade so I could buy an ox heart.
£1.70 - which isn't bad. Pig's hearts are about 35-45p, and ox hearts are considerably bigger.
And considerably HEAVIER. They must weigh about 2 stones.
Thankfully, Ashleigh said I could hang it on her handles as I was pushing her. This took a bit of strain off my arms.
We stopped off at Home Bargains and Greggs - then went and sat in a different place yet again.
We sat by the text tower in the centre, on the black stone bricks.
THEY'RE FUCKING FREEZING.
I sat on it and squealed as the cold penetrated my arse cheeks. Shelly did the same, rofl.
I did vow to myself that I wasn't going to eat a lot of chocolate, incase nerves and squeamishness got to me during my exam shoot and I ended up vomiting - but I changed my mind and ate a Terry's Chocolate Orange bar and a chocolate bunny with praline in the middle.
I bought two of those, but I did save one for later on.
I'd bought Sprite today - a variation on my usual Pepsi.
Sprite makes me feel funny inside.
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Walking back to college, I was pretty close to "bottling it", as Shelly puts it.
I had bus fare in my pocket, I could have skipped off the exam and just got the Leven Valley bus back to nana's.
Shelly tried reverse psychology on me. She knows I'm almost as childish as she is - so she was like: "Alright, you just go... Come on Ashleigh, we'll leave her..."
So eventually I did end up following them with my tail between my legs.
I hadn't actually gone anywhere - they'd just started walking faster in front of me.
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Arriving back at college, we had around 20 minutes before E block - so we sat on the benches in front of Hair & Beauty.
I didn't say much, I was drowning in my own fears.
When the time came, Ashleigh practically took me by the arm and pulled me to the lift.
Once inside, I pressed ALL the buttons - and when it got to first floor, I mashed the ONE button, so that the doors kept on opening.
I did the same on 2nd floor, until Ashleigh grabbed me by the arms and pulled me away from the panel.
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I will say that in Photography - thanks to me - Shelly, Danny and Ashleigh all did NO work.
Shelly helped me tape the tarpaulin to the wall below the projector while Paul was setting up a tripod.
Danny was proper facinated by the heart. He was only too happy when I asked if he'd help me get it out of the bag, as I couldn't at the time - my hands were covered in blood.
One mint thing though - Amara wasn't in lesson, and Danni-slagface was too squeamish to stay in the room, so she went and hid in the art rooms next door.
Even Jonathan and those two emo slags seemed interested - those who I thought didn't have a high opinion of me. I still think they don't, but at least they weren't arseholes.
The first few photos, I'd just tipped blood over my shirt as I held up the heart or a meat cleaver I'd brought along.
Then of course, Shelly tipped the blood over my head - as much as she didn't want to.
(She later admitted to me that she'd felt so guilty about it, she'd gone and cried in the 4th floor toilets.)
Ashleigh wasn't as remorseful - she was manning the tripod, taking all the photos. I could see she was secretley enjoying watching me writhe.
GOLDEN SYRUP FUCKING HURTS WHEN IT GETS IN YOUR EYES.
That happened TWICE - it started dripping down my fringe and running into my eyes. We had to stop twice so I could wipe my eyes down with a baby wipe.
I don't really like the taste of it either, but yeah...
Tanya and her friend from Art came in.
They said the printer was broken - they take a chair - they both sit on it, directly behind the tripod and stare at me.
"We're coming in to watch."
"Am I honestly that interesting?"
"No, but the printer's broke and we're bored."
"That's nice."
Here be some photos:
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Rofl, then came the task of cleaning myself up.
It's a good thing that the toilets all have locks to the actual outside door.
Ashleigh rinsed out my shirt and my trousers while Shelly mopped my face down and rinsed off some of my hair.
I put on my clean clothes and wiped down my feet and my chest. My hair wasn't totally clean, so I'd thought ahead and brought a baseball cap to wear to the bus stop.
I trust them both enough. They've seen me practically naked before - and I them, so what be the problem?
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I nearly broke my back walking to the bus stop though.
The heart and the remaining blood was BEYOND heavy.
I had to carry it slung over one shoulder, but even then, it was breaking my back. I sort of alternated between shoulder and arm.
Very thankful when I got to the bus stop and I could put it down.
There was this ginger chav sat next to me in the shelter - he kept giving me dodgy looks. Probably because I smelt of golden syrup. Lmao. :)
The bus was proper late as well.
I killed time with Lisa and texting Adam.
They were all like: "LOL GINGER CHAV SNIFFING ME." and "OMG PROPER NEED A SHOWER MATE."
When I got back to nana's - she'd made me chicken dippers and spaghetti, but I'd proper lost my appetite earlier. I scraped some of the spaghetti, so she put the chicken in the fridge for me.
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I was so fucking thankful to get in the shower like.
My hair still felt a bit strange afterwards, but at least it wasn't sticky - and it hadn't gained a pink tinge from the food colouring like I'd expected.
I bought a Wii Points card yesterday - I bought two songs on World Tour (Gimme All Your Lovin' and In The Shadows), Streets Of Rage and Super Mario RPG on Virtual Console.
I keep missing ONE note on In The Shadows - on both Hard and Expert... Annoyed.
Gimme All Your Lovin' is a cover - HOW DARE THEY GIVE AWAY COVER SONGS AS DLC.
It's not an amazing cover either - it's by Wavegroup - and Line 6 do FAR better ZZ Top covers than them.
But I bought it becuase it's a mint song. I'm practically a lifetime ZZ Top fan. :)
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I spent the rest of my night playing Streets Of Rage.
I got to the 7th level - the stupid level with the lift, and I got killed.
GAH.
I'm going to play the 2-player mode with Shelly on Saturday. She loves this game too. :)
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