The Observer Effect

Principles of science can be useful tools, especially when you watch or read promotional material from the weight-loss industry. For the past 40 years, The Dark Ages of Dieting, Americans have been offered a wide range of ineffective therapies, all purportedly having innate logic and objective validity. Pharmaceutical corporations-- although themselves the subject of much controversy and scrutiny-- are exemplary models of ethical rigor when compared with supposedly trustworthy “nutritional” sources.

Let’s not discuss, for the moment, whether or not grapefruit, cabbage, red peppers, unlimited protein, the glycemic index, macadamia nut oil, or salmon is the unique cure for obesity—or why these epiphanies were reached by individuals, as opposed to physicians at the Mayo Clinic or the Pasteur Institute. Several years ago, I had the unique pleasure of congratulating a voluptuous television star on her new weight-loss vitamin line--I was being polite, and you would have too. Did she design the formulations from her own research into biochemistry and physiology? Could she spell?

Scientific research, a discipline totally unknown to a majority of Americans, includes certain “checks and balances” that ensure the integrity of the findings and their interpretation. One safeguard is protecting against the observer effect, a phenomenon somewhat tangentially related to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Here’s an easy example: students will behave differently if their exams are proctored by several teachers—observation of their behavior (by watchful monitors) will affect their actions (avoiding cheating). Do you drive more carefully when police cars, hidden cameras, or speed traps might be present? Observation of your behavior, whether visible or possible, makes you much more likely to follow the rules of the road.

How about a television spokesperson for a weight-loss program? Is he or she totally motivated by health concerns, idealistic beliefs, or the need to lower cholesterol? On the contrary, the mere fact that this individual is being observed (and, of course, paid) affects his or her own food choices, exercise schedule, and wardrobe contents. This doesn’t happen if the spokesperson is trying to sell you home insurance, power drills, or lawn furniture. Are you impressed when that spokesperson “sticks to the program” and is photographed in smaller-sized clothing?

A fascinating weight-loss study reported in the British Medical Journal several years ago described two groups of experimental subjects. The first group was given precise caloric guidelines by medical personnel and nutritionists. The second group, the “controls”, were simply told that they were in a weight-loss study but given no instructions of any kind. Not surprisingly, both groups lost weight, although the first group did slightly better. The observer effect was responsible for this unusual outcome. When people become aware that their weight is being watched by others—no matter what the reason—behavioral changes can occur, even if not specified or supervised.

How does the observer effect play a part in your daily life? That’s at the epicenter of The Park Avenue Diet, since one’s image—which is a projection into society of a lifestyle pattern—is by definition the only thing other people can observe. Upgrading appearance and behavior can enhance this phenomenon, leading to better relationships, job opportunities, and health. How the outside world perceives us is extraordinarily important—so let the observer effect become your strategic partner, not a mechanism of distortion and misinformation.