NO SELF-DISCIPLINE? This Device SHOCKS You Into Sticking to Your Diet & Breaking Bad Habits

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Eventually, we all learn that self-discipline is a necessary life skill. Thankfully, there’s a new gadget with an app for that.

It used to be heartaches and pains that taught life lessons, that the agonizing letting go of lost love can set us free; a cancer diagnosis can be the impetus to quit smoking—wisdom that comes with experience.

Now, a device can help administer that pain for us preemptively: the Pavlock bracelet sold on Amazon. We’re not kidding! Pavlock delivers a slight electric shock to your body to help you kick bad habits.

It’s more than just a goofy gimmick. There is behavioral science behind the design, and believe it or not, it actually works—to some extent.

When donning the Pavlock bracelet, which hooks up to an app on your phone, you can program the system to defeat whatever bad habit you’re trying to kick.

Say you’re trying to cut sugar out of your diet; you can self-administer the shock every time you eat a sweet snack. Before you know it, you are making smarter choices, like the very same day. And that could be a clean break for good.

The science behind this explains how the brain learns to associate the bad habit (eating sugar in this case) with the shock. And, instinctively, you’ll want to avoid the shock plus the associated sugar-eating act.

The shock, as the product describes, is about the equivalent of walking on a rugged area in your socks and then touching a doorknob—350 volts. The device holds enough charge to deliver 150 shocks per day.

There are also smarter functions built into Pavlock, as it can also track your hand movements. It can then deliver a shock whenever you raise your fork to your mouth, automatically.

Illustration - Shutterstock | Rocketclips, Inc.

Another function allows friends and family members to support the endeavor through the app. They can deliver a shock via the device remotely whenever the app lets them know you’ve stepped over the line.

When they spot you going for your third plate at the buffet, zap!

You can get your hands on the Pavlock bracelet for around $130 on Amazon.

The website explains:

Pavlok is a behaviour training device that works by utilizing aversive conditioning.

Aversive conditioning is essentially behaviour training that uses negative stimuli and association to help reaffirm a specific action as undesirable.

Pavlok is worn around your wrist and it uses a small electric zap by simply pushing the button on your wristband, or by remote control on the Pavlok smartphone app whenever you find yourself craving or actually doing the behaviour you want to get rid of.

You’ll have full use of a remote control inside the app, to conveniently control your Pavlok from your phone and to set automated shock options for various habits.