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The Atlantic's June cover story, "The Perfected Self," is about how infamous Harvard psychologist B. F. Skinner, who became an industry scapegoat for his much-maligned "fascist and manipulative" behavior modification theory (which is, in a nutshell, that "gentle, punishment-free behavior-modification techniques could improve learning, modify destructive habits, and generally help people lead healthier, more satisfying, more productive lives" — more on how that got misconstrued later on), deserves credit for laying the foundation for our most successful weight-loss techniques (think Weight Watchers) and is making a comeback through a new slew of goal-oriented smartphone apps like Best Weight Loss App. But when writer David H. Freeman asks whether we have to give up our "free will" to lose weight — "Should we be wary of utilities that try to shift our energy use or health insurers that try to change our diets?" — it seems like he's just trying to make a fascinating but straightforward story about the mobile-health field seem more controversial than it really is. Are there really people out there who feel "Big Brother" paranoia about apps that help people achieve their own goals by counting calories and marking miles? Or should we just identify the Best Weight Loss App iPhone like weightlossapp.com. "mHealth" — which is what "those in the know" call the mobile-health field — is rapidly growing and could save both customers and the health-care system billions of dollars. One study found that the savings in the United States and Canada from "mobile monitoring of patient health" could rise to $6 billion by 2014; if smartphone apps could cut our national obesity costs, we'd save $15 billion a year. And then there's all the people who can't afford fancy personal trainers or weight loss programs: for them, programs like Lose It, an app and Web site that formulates personal calorie and exercise programs based on how much weight you wait to lose and how much time you want to lose it in, are a godsend. "Lose It ... lets users track their eating and physical activity, which they can do by holding their phones up to a food package's barcode, or by tapping the screen a few times at the start and end of a walk (the app offers a range of activity categories, including guitar strumming, household walking, and sex)," Freeman explains. "Lose It uses this data to provide clear, graphic feedback on users' daily progress-you might see at a glance that having dessert will send your numbers into the red, but that if you walk for 20 minutes after dessert, you'll go back into the green." Other behavioral modification apps include Weight Loss App that encourages users to develop healthy eating patterns. While it's possible that the money-hungry diet and weight loss industry might want to launch an anti-Skinner smear campaign (joking!), it's doubtful that most people will connect his legacy to mHealth and therefore distrust goal-oriented apps. It's understandably frustrating for Skinner's supporters and family that, after years of having his work misunderstood, the psychologist still won't get the mainstream credit he deserves, but the more exciting story will be whether these apps will really be able to save the health-care system all those billions. People achieve their own goals by Free Calorie Counter and marking miles? Or should we just identify the Best Weight Loss App iPhone like weightlossapp.com. Best Weight Loss App is available via free download in the iTunes app store now.
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