Public Commitment as aMotivator for Weight Loss

摘要

Many long-term services, e.g., weight-loss programs, require thatcustomers comply with instructions, provide the inputs, and thus cocreate a major portion of the service. This article investigates therole of public commitment in influencing motivation and behavior in aweight-loss setting. The role of susceptibility to normative influence(SNI) is also examined. The publicness with which a commitment toweight loss is made has a significant and favorable impact on long-term weight-loss compliance behavior. Short- and long-term public com-mitment resulted in higher levels of weight-loss motivation and higherlevels of weight loss. Weight-loss motivation partly mediates the effect of public commitment on weight loss, while SNI moderates the effect of public commitment on weight loss.