Shock yourself slim

There are many many activity trackers on the market; the Up Band, Withings, FitBit, etc.. But now there is one that will literally shock you into new habits!

The Pavlok wrist band uses a form of electric shock therapy to motivate you into the development of good habits.  It is branded as a "personal coach on your wrist" and can even be used to help stop mindless eating.

The band can be activated manually or automatically and the idea behind it is that the two milliampere shock will condition users to develop and stick to good habits by associating the bad habits with the uncomfortable yet effective shock.

Pavlok has been created by Maneesh Sethi who got his inspiration for the band from Pavlov's famous classical conditioning experiment where dogs were trained to expect food each time a bell rang.

"By adding a shock while you eat, you train your lizard brain to associate the act of eating (or the type of food) with the shock - and it can effectively limit the drive for mindless eating that you normally have," Sethi told The Dot.

EJ Dickinson, journalist for The Dot, tried out the wristband on Thanksgiving:

"It felt like someone was plucking out my arm hair with a pair of pincers," Dickinson wrote.

The device is meant to be painless, the shock just to give you a gentle reminder but Dickinson didn't agree.  However, he did say that, "It makes you ask yourself, wait, why am I hungry again?"  But he also admitted that the wristband was at least somewhat effective because "I was more than able to button each button on my pants."

According to the Pavlok website, the band helps to transform wearers and promotes change.  You can use it to change old habits or acquire new ones, it isn't just a way of stopping you eating.

"Choose your daily action, and Pavlok will hold you accountable, ensuring lasting success." the web states.

"It's not about the shock as much as it is about training your brain to do the things you say you're going to do," Sethi said, stating that negative reinforcement "really does make people pay attention."

On the web, information isn't very clear, but it says that the band also creates community and if you don't reach your goals you may even get shocked by a fellow user.  However, there is also a reward scheme for those who do reach their goals.

"Through our proprietary negative and positive reinforcement technique, Pavlok doesn't simply nudge someone to change their behavior - it pushes them to transform themselves and form the habit to maintain their transformation."

Maybe it is the key for people who are lacking enough willpower to reach their goals, it may seem a bit extreme but if it works... then why not?

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com