We’re so greedy. We’re greedy for power and we face corruption scandals. We’re greedy for bigger homes and we lose our mortgages. We’re greedy for food and we’re obese.

But on the upside, our greed does have one positive effect. People who are paid to lose weight are more effective at losing it! According to Dr. Kevin Volpp from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the reason people on conventional diets fail to lose weight is because they are asked to “make sacrifices now for rewards in the future.” But try throwing some cash in the pot…

Apparently money lost is enough of an aversion, and money gained is enough of an incentive, that people will more often stick to a diet if money is at stake. In a study by Volpp, researchers assigned 57 obese but otherwise healthy people to either an incentive group (paid money for losing weight) or a control group (simply weighed at the end of each month). Both groups aimed to lose 16 pounds by the end of four months. People in the incentive program lost between 13-14 pounds while those in the control group rewarded only by nicer fitting jeans lost about 4 pounds after four months.

Money motivates. Get greedy.