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Seth RobertsAmerican psychologist, experimenter, author of the Shangri-La diet
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 USA |
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Biography of Seth Roberts
Seth Roberts is an American psychologist, experimenter, and author of the Shangri-La Diet. He is a professor of psychology at Tsinghua University in Beijing and an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Roberts is well-known for conducting experiments on himself, earning him the nickname "the champion of self-experimentation". The results of his work have helped him develop his own diet, start a popular blog, and write numerous publications.
Early Life and Career
In the early 1980s, Roberts struggled with insomnia and sought to overcome it by making changes to his lifestyle. He incorporated physical exercise and increased calcium consumption into his routine. Through trial and error, Roberts eventually discovered that watching the sunrise and delaying breakfast helped alleviate his insomnia. He often explained his findings and discoveries through the lens of evolutionary theory, which he later applied to resolving issues related to sleep, health, mood, and more.
As a graduate student, Roberts studied the ability of animals to learn, with a particular focus on the psychology and behavior of rats. After reading a report by Israel Ramirez on how saccharin affects weight gain in rats, Roberts developed a new theory. He experimented with various diets, including sushi, foods with a low glycemic index, and vinegar, until he arrived at the concept of the Shangri-La Diet.
The Shangri-La Diet
Roberts claims that weight is controlled by maintaining a certain level of fat in the body, referred to as the "set point". When the fat level falls below this set point, appetite decreases, and less food is consumed to feel satisfied. Conversely, when the fat level is above the set point, appetite increases, and more food is needed for satisfaction. Roberts also suggests that consuming "strongly flavored foods" such as soda or donuts stimulates hunger, while "food without tantalizing aromas" such as sweet water, canola oil, and extra-light olive oil promotes earlier satiety. He advises consuming the latter group of foods at least an hour before or an hour after consuming the first group. By consuming 100-500 "flavorless calories" per day, it is possible to store energy without overeating, resulting in natural weight loss.
Recognition and Criticism
The Shangri-La Diet received approval and mentions from prominent individuals such as Tyler Cowen, Tim Ferriss, Tucker Max, Stephen Dubner, and Gary Wolf. However, it also faced criticism, including from John Ford, a dietician at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Despite the criticism, the book "The Shangri-La Diet" became a New York Times bestseller with the help of word-of-mouth recommendations. It even reached the second spot on Amazon.com's bestseller list.
The diet garnered further attention when it was discussed on the show "Good Morning America," where journalist Diane Sawyer tried a spoonful of olive oil. In September 2001, Dr. Ranjit Chandra, a renowned nutrition researcher, published a study in the journal "Nutrition" on the impact of vitamins on higher brain functions in older adults. Roberts and Saul Sternberg, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, discovered significant discrepancies in the presented nutraceutical data. Roberts openly stated that Chandra's research results were not just implausible but impossible from a common-sense perspective. This exposé was covered by the New York Times and the British Medical Journal, and CBC Corporation even released a three-part documentary called "The Secret Life of Dr. Chandra." In 2005, the journal "Nutrition" published a refutation of Chandra's original work.
Roberts made contributions to the development of the magazine "Spy" and was a member of the Weight Control and Health Center at the University of California, Berkeley.
