WHAT IS OPERANT CONDITIONG AND HOW DOES IT MAKE THE FIGURE 8 BODYCHAIN WORK?
Wendy Barker’s Figure 8 Bodychain is remarkably effective in connecting your body with your mind.
New Zealand-made from precious metal (your choice of sterling silver, gold or platinum) the Figure 8 Bodychain is designed to be worn around your waist, under your clothing.
At first glance simply a sexy piece of jewellery, this unique, patented product works by utilising a branch of behavioural psychology known as operant conditioning to modify your behaviour.
Psychologists describe operant conditioning as a method of learning that occurs through reward and punishment.
It works like this:
You wear the Figure 8 Bodychain so it fits comfortably around your waist – just tight enough to stay in place while being almost imperceptible as you go about your daily life.
When worn continuously it’s now positioned to provide constant feedback to your mind about the state of your girth (that’s your waist measurement).
Crucially, your Figure 8 Bodychain will not allow your mind to trick your body about whether your food intake and exercise output is right for you. Good or bad, your Figure 8 Bodychain will let you know exactly what’s happening with your body.
It does that by tightening or loosening noticeably as soon as your girth changes circumference – immediately sending a message to your mind that a behavioural response is required. This immediate feedback is regarded as an extremely valuable aspect of operant conditioning.
If you over-indulge during a meal, for example, perceptible tightening of the Figure 8 Bodychain is a ‘secret’ signal to your mind that you need to take action to limit your intake.
We say ‘secret’ because there is no perceptible evidence of the Figure 8 Bodychain as a girth monitor or of its signals to anyone other than you, the wearer.
On the other hand, if you’re aiming to lose weight by limiting your calorie intake and increasing the amount of exercise you do, the Figure 8 Bodychain loosens noticeably as soon as your girth changes circumference.
Again, this immediate positive feedback is a key aspect of operant conditioning.
This is reinforced when your weight loss requires you to alter the position of the catch on your Figure 8 Bodychain to retain its comfortable fit. Thus your operant conditioning is continuous and is supplemented whenever a milestone is reached.
For most people, the addition or deletion of each link in your Figure 8 Bodychain indicates a two kilogram change in your body weight. So, if it becomes loose and you need to take a link out, that reflects a two kilogram weight loss.
Conversely, when it tightens to the extent that you need to add another link, that means you’ve put on about two kilograms.
In each case, your Figure 8 Bodychain is giving you immediate feedback – enabling you to make the best decision for your well being.
Such feedback reinforces that making little changes to your daily eating and exercise programmes really does make a difference to your body.