Comments on: Exercise Sizzle Works Sans Steak http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/04/exercise_sizzle.html Overcoming Bias is economist Robin Hanson’s blog, on honesty, signaling, disagreement, forecasting, and the far future. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:58:36 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: mk http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/04/exercise_sizzle.html#comment-420101 mk Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:53:06 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/04/exercise-sizzle-works-sans-steak.html#comment-420101 This is very interesting, but I wonder. Maybe it suggests that people who are mentally focused on getting exercise get more out of it. Is this study really an example of "sizzle without steak"? Is it <i>false</i> that cleaning is pretty good exercise? The study may instead indicate that "steak without sizzle" is not as effective as "steak with sizzle." "Sizzle" here would mean goal-directed attitude, a purposive intent to get positive benefits from exercise. I could imagine there being differences in heart rate, etc. People who have no intent to get good exercise are more lackadaisical, perhaps. I dunno. It's very interesting but I don't see that it conclusively indicates a placebo effect. This is very interesting, but I wonder. Maybe it suggests that people who are mentally focused on getting exercise get more out of it.

Is this study really an example of “sizzle without steak”? Is it false that cleaning is pretty good exercise? The study may instead indicate that “steak without sizzle” is not as effective as “steak with sizzle.”

“Sizzle” here would mean goal-directed attitude, a purposive intent to get positive benefits from exercise. I could imagine there being differences in heart rate, etc. People who have no intent to get good exercise are more lackadaisical, perhaps.

I dunno. It’s very interesting but I don’t see that it conclusively indicates a placebo effect.

]]> By: Walt Guyll http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/04/exercise_sizzle.html#comment-420100 Walt Guyll Sun, 22 Apr 2007 02:20:19 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/04/exercise-sizzle-works-sans-steak.html#comment-420100 Perhaps there are health benefits to being deceived by Harvard researchers. Perhaps there are health benefits to being deceived by Harvard researchers.

]]> By: Nancy Lebovitz http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/04/exercise_sizzle.html#comment-420099 Nancy Lebovitz Sat, 21 Apr 2007 14:31:26 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/04/exercise-sizzle-works-sans-steak.html#comment-420099 There could be a status effect because exercise is considered very virtuous/high status. Being told that their work counts as exercise could make maids think of themselves and their work as higher status than they did previously. There could be a status effect because exercise is considered very virtuous/high status. Being told that their work counts as exercise could make maids think of themselves and their work as higher status than they did previously.

]]> By: Hei Lun Chan http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/04/exercise_sizzle.html#comment-420098 Hei Lun Chan Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:44:25 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/04/exercise-sizzle-works-sans-steak.html#comment-420098 "This could also plausibly be a status effect; status has huge health benefits, and perhaps good exercise jobs are seen as having higher status." I don't think that's right, since "good exercise jobs" is just another phrase for manual labor. “This could also plausibly be a status effect; status has huge health benefits, and perhaps good exercise jobs are seen as having higher status.”

I don’t think that’s right, since “good exercise jobs” is just another phrase for manual labor.

]]> By: Gil http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/04/exercise_sizzle.html#comment-420097 Gil Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:09:59 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/04/exercise-sizzle-works-sans-steak.html#comment-420097 It's even stranger because you'd expect people who thought they were getting more exercise to feel like they could afford to eat worse than they would otherwise (regardless of what they self-reported to have eaten). That, absent the placebo effect, would make me expect their health to become worse than the control group, rather than better. It’s even stranger because you’d expect people who thought they were getting more exercise to feel like they could afford to eat worse than they would otherwise (regardless of what they self-reported to have eaten). That, absent the placebo effect, would make me expect their health to become worse than the control group, rather than better.

]]> By: billswift http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/04/exercise_sizzle.html#comment-420096 billswift Wed, 18 Apr 2007 22:12:51 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/04/exercise-sizzle-works-sans-steak.html#comment-420096 Self-reporting exercise and diet makes the study of even less worth, self-reports are notoriously unreliable. Self-reporting exercise and diet makes the study of even less worth, self-reports are notoriously unreliable.

]]> By: Robin Hanson http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/04/exercise_sizzle.html#comment-420095 Robin Hanson Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:59:58 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/04/exercise-sizzle-works-sans-steak.html#comment-420095 Peter, the studies you point to don't seem to conflict with the study I cited. Peter, the studies you point to don’t seem to conflict with the study I cited.

]]> By: Peter McCluskey http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/04/exercise_sizzle.html#comment-420094 Peter McCluskey Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:47:11 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/04/exercise-sizzle-works-sans-steak.html#comment-420094 Your comment about antidepressants could easily be misinterpreted, and the evidence is more complicated than your reference suggests. See <a href="http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/ovb28.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/ovb28.html</a> for comments that Typepad's annoying spam filter won't let me post here. Your comment about antidepressants could easily be misinterpreted, and the evidence is more complicated than your reference suggests.
See http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/ovb28.html for comments that Typepad’s annoying spam filter won’t let me post here.

]]> By: Matthew C http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/04/exercise_sizzle.html#comment-420093 Matthew C Wed, 18 Apr 2007 16:41:14 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/04/exercise-sizzle-works-sans-steak.html#comment-420093 Robin, Any versions of the paper available that don't require me to pay $29 to read? Robin,

Any versions of the paper available that don’t require me to pay $29 to read?

]]> By: rcriii http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/04/exercise_sizzle.html#comment-420092 rcriii Wed, 18 Apr 2007 16:28:42 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/04/exercise-sizzle-works-sans-steak.html#comment-420092 Could being told that their work was exercise have motivated the experimental group to take other steps towards health - e.g. reducing calories, smoking or drinking? Note that this still might leave room for a (possibly significant) placebo effect. Could being told that their work was exercise have motivated the experimental group to take other steps towards health – e.g. reducing calories, smoking or drinking? Note that this still might leave room for a (possibly significant) placebo effect.

]]>