How to Coach Yourself and Others Better Coaching Through Visualisation | Page 212

Experiment #3.
(from Oettingen and Wadden at the Univ Penn):
A group of obese women in a weight reduction program were asked
to imagine how they might behave in various food-related scenarios,
such as being tempted with pizza. Their responses were categorized
on a scale from highly positive (e.g. I would stay away from cake
and ice cream) to highly negative (e.g. I would be eating both my
own and other people’s portions). The women were tracked for a
year. Those with more positive fantasies had lost, on average, 26 lbs
less than those with negative fantasies.
Experiment #4.
(Oettingen):
A group of students with a serious crush on a classmate were asked
to imagine what would happen in various scenarios, such as arriving
early to class and seeing the door open and the object of their desire
enter. The degree of their fantasizing was rated as positive (eg Our
eyes meet and we both know that this is the type of love that
happens once in a lifetime) to negative (we are both free and single,
he turns to me, smiles and asks how I am. For reasons that I still do
not fully understand, I explain that I already have a boyfriend.) Five
months later, those with positive fantasies were less likely to have
been forthcoming about their crush or made other overtures toward
having a relationship with them.
Experiment #5.
(Oettingen).
Senior students were asked to note how often they fantasized about
getting their dream job after college graduation. Two-year follow-up
— the students who had frequently fantasized about success had
submitted fewer job applications, received fewer job offers, and had
smaller salaries.
212