Big Brother Is Watching You: The New Wave of Weight-Loss Apps
The Atlantic's June cover story, "The Perfected Self," is about
how infamous Harvard psychologist B. F. Skinner, who became an
industry scapegoat for his much-maligned "fascist and
manipulative" behavior modification theory (which is, in a
nutshell, that "gentle, punishment-free behavior-modification
techniques could improve learning, modify destructive habits,
and generally help people lead healthier, more satisfying, more
productive lives" — more on how that got misconstrued later on),
deserves credit for laying the foundation for our most
successful weight-loss techniques (think Weight Watchers) and is
making a comeback through a new slew of goal-oriented smartphone
apps.  But when writer David H. Freeman asks whether we have to
give up our "free will" to lose weight — "Should we be wary of
utilities that try to shift our energy use or health insurers
that try to change our diets?" — it seems like he's just trying
to make a fascinating but stra