Reflections on self-control

What the future may hold for an individual is an uncertainty that is best left fuzzy.

What the future may hold for an individual is an uncertainty that is best left fuzzy. But scientists in France are geared up with a technology that will visualise what a person may look like in the future. Billed as the ‘persuasive mirror’, the scientists embarked on this mission out of concern for obese teenagers.

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The futuristic image in the mirror will be based on the person’s current lifestyle — a profile of which will be captured by sensors and webcams posted across the house. These ‘spies’ will be located near the fridge (to count the visits), near the couch (to count hours spent slouching), among other spots that weaken the will to eat healthy. Once all this data is processed by the digitised mirror, an image will emerge — which is highly likely to be larger than desirable. This, in turn, is supposed to discourage gluttonous young things from over-indulging when it comes to the gastronomic side of their lives. Of course, scientists haven’t yet worked out how the mirror will reflect ‘secret’ trysts with food — snacking outside the house, for instance, while sticking to a diet at home.

So the first criterion for the persuasive mirror to ‘work’ and project a realistic possibility, scientists admit, is to be honest about lifestyles. Now if only it were that easy. Then we wouldn’t have needed an expensive fairground mirror, would we?