Carrot? Stick? Or Just More Carrot Sticks?

If you didn’t catch this an interesting new study has demonstrated that people are motivated to lose weight by financial rewards. And a paltry reward at that! Paying participants $7 to $14 per 1% of body weight lost apparently was enough to encourage people to lose significantly more weight than those in the study who were not reimbursed. Let me see ....a 250 lb man is asked by his doctor to lose 15 lbs (6%) which will almost certainly reduce his risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and cancer. Visit after visit he makes no progress and may even continue to pack on the pounds. Yet, offer him a sum less than $100 and it makes all the difference. Miraculous. If this is reproducible and maintainable (presumably by continuing very modest financial incentives) the health care crisis is over!