Surefire trick to boost willpower

To stick to your goal of healthy moderation at a neighbor’s barbecue, allow yourself to indulge in dessert, but make sure you serve yourself. A new study in the Journal of Marketing Research found that when faced with a table of Reese’s Pieces, 33 percent more people ate the candy when it was already scooped into cups for them to grab versus when they had to portion it out themselves. The reason: Putting food on your own plate physically reinforces your responsibility, and keeping yourself on the hook makes you think more carefully about what you eat.