As time marches on and more donuts are consumed, we all age and grow older, fatter, and uglier. But the truth is, like Homer, most of us (yours truly included) are unable to resist the temptations of instant gratification for our long term benefit.
Personally, I’d rather know how fat and wrinkly I will look now, not later. I can always use more guilt trips, after all, and that way I could watch my waistline expand as I munch on my comfort food.
Apparently, I’m not the only self-hating masochist who can’t wait for the depressing reality of the future. A French lab has developed a system which logs your daily excesses through cameras dotting your home and records of food intake and so forth. Then, at the press of a button it shows you what you will look like in the long run if you continue to live your current lifestyle. Presumably the system is dynamic, such that it can be used as a particularly unflattering mirror.
Speaking seriously for a moment, obesity is reaching epidemic levels in the United States — reports indicate that obesity may soon be considered a bigger killer than smoking. An invention like this would help people to make informed decisions about their lifestyle choices by putting the consequences of their decisions where they can’t be ignored or denied. Still, I wonder about the accuracy of the system’s predictions. More importantly, the system sounds expensive, unwieldy, and possibly time consuming to use. Both accessibility and usability will have to be considered carefully before such a product will “make it” on the market.
Mirror that reflects your future self [NewScientist]
