Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body

by Michael Matthews

Interestingly, “good” behaviors that people use to justify the “bad” don’t even have to be related. Shoppers who pass up something desired are more likely to feel justified in indulging in tempting food.40 When reminded of their virtue, people donate less to charity.41 Hell, research shows that when people merely think about doing something good, it increases the likelihood of immoral or indulgent behavior.42 And in an even stranger feat of mental acrobatics, when some people imagine what they could have done but didn’t, they feel virtuous. They could have eaten the entire cheesecake but only had one slice. They could have skipped four workouts but only skipped three. They could have bought the $2,000 suit but opted for the $700 one instead.