Seth Roberts
Seth Roberts | |
---|---|
Born | August 17, 1953 |
Died | April 26, 2014 Berkeley, California, U.S.[1] | (aged 60)
Known for | Self-experimentation |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Psychology |
Seth Roberts (August 17, 1953 – April 26, 2014) was a professor of psychology at Tsinghua University in Beijing and emeritus professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. He was the author of the bestselling book The Shangri-La Diet,[2][3] and a prolific blogger. He was well known for his work in self-experimentation which led to many discoveries, including his diet, multiple publications and a popular blog.[4]
Roberts's work has been featured in The New York Times Magazine and The Scientist.[2][5] He was also a contributor to Spy and a member of the university's Center for Weight and Health.[6][7]
Roberts died in April 2014 after collapsing while hiking.[8]
Self-experimentation
In the early 1980s, Roberts suffered from insomnia. Through self-experimentation, he set out to solve this problem by varying aspects of his lifestyle, like exercise and calcium intake.[9] After many failures to see an improvement in his sleep, he eventually discovered that delaying breakfast, seeing faces in the morning, morning light, and standing solved this problem.[10] When Roberts discovered a trend or solution, he typically looked backwards evolutionarily for an explanation.[11] Roberts would later apply this method to solving problems in health, sleep, and mood, among other things.
The generalized validity of Robert's conclusions have been questioned by scientists who assert that his experiments lacked a
Roberts was called the "champion of self-experimentation" for his contributions to the field.[4] Professor Tyler Cowen called Roberts' theme of experimenting on the self the "highest stage of science".[13]
The Shangri-La Diet
As a
Roberts argued that weight is controlled by maintaining
The name is taken from the fictional Shangri-La, a reference Roberts explained by stating that Shangri-La is a "very peaceful place. My diet puts people at peace with food."[14]
The diet has been endorsed or mentioned by
Book
Through word of mouth, the book became a
The Shangri-La Diet was also featured on Good Morning America, where journalist Diane Sawyer tried a tablespoon of olive oil.[26][27]
Criticism of Ranjit Chandra
In September 2001, Dr.
Death
Roberts died on Saturday, April 26, 2014. He collapsed while hiking near his home in Berkeley, California.[1] Occlusive coronary artery disease and cardiomegaly contributed to his death.[34]
References
- ^ a b Seth Roberts Blog. "Seth", 27 April 2014. Retrieved on 27 April 2014.
- ^ a b c Dubner and Levitt "Does the Truth Lie Within? The Accidental Diet", September 11, 2005.
- ^ "About the Author" Archived 2008-07-04 at the Wayback Machine on SethRoberts.net
- ^ a b Frauenfelder, Mark Seth Roberts' fascinating self-experiments June 1, 2008.
- ^ Slack, Gordy "The Self-Experimenter" Archived 2008-06-30 at the Wayback Machine Vol 21 | Issue 3 | Page 24
- ^ Seth Roberts: Archived 2008-05-11 at the Wayback Machine Spy Magazine Articles
- ^ Interview with Gary Taubes (Part 7) Archived 2008-06-30 at the Wayback Machine February 7, 2008.
- ^ "Personal Science Pioneer Seth Roberts Passes Away". BetaBeat.
- ^ Minkel, J.R. Self-Experimenter freed himself from insomnia, acne, and love handles Scientific American, March 18, 2008.
- ^ Roberts, Seth Self-experimentation as a source for new ideas: Ten examples about sleep, mood, health, and weight, 2004.
- ^ Does the Truth Lie Within? Dubner and Levitt. New York Times Magazine. 9/11/2005 "Once he stumbled upon this solution, Roberts, like many scientists, looked back to the Stone Age for explication."
- ^ Does the Truth Lie Within? Dubner and Levitt. New York Times Magazine. 9/11/2005 "Many modern scientists dismiss it as being not nearly scientific enough: there is no obvious control group, and you can hardly run a double-blind experiment when the researcher and subject are the same person. But might the not-quite-scientific nature of self-experimentation also be a good thing? A great many laboratory-based scientific experiments, especially those in the medical field, are later revealed to have been marred by poor methodology or blatant self-interest."
- ^ Self-Experimentation "Seth realizes that the self is often the last thing we know and discovering the self is the highest stage of science not to mention performance art."
- ^ a b c Interview with Author Dr. Seth Roberts The Diet Channel
- ^ Ramirez, Israel Stimulation of Energy Intake and Growth by Saccharin in Rats September 25, 1989.
- ISBN 978-0399533167.
- ^ A Spoonful of Sugar Archived 2008-05-13 at the Wayback Machine Book Review
- ^ Marginal Revolution: The Shangri-La Diet, April 7, 2006.
- ^ Ferriss, Tim Relax Like A Pro: Five Steps to Hacking Your Sleep "thanks Seth Roberts, PHD. for this tip"
- ^ Tipping the Scales Rudius Media Messageboards
- ^ Gary Wolf blog "'Im becoming a devoted fan of Seth Robert's, one of the great champion of self-experimentation."
- ^ Ford, John Troubles in Shangri-La[usurped] on TCSDaily
- ^ [1] May 21st, 2006. New York Times Bestseller list.
- ^ Shangri La De Da Diet in Comic Form Calorie Lab. May 2006
- ^ Levitt, Steven (May 5, 2006). "Friends in High Places". Freakonomics Blog, New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ "Oil and Water: Key to Weight Loss?". ABC. November 14, 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ Dubner, Stephen (November 14, 2005). "The Shangri-La Diet, Between Hard Covers". Freakonomics Blog, New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ Chandra, Ranjit Effect of Vitamin and Trace-Element Supplementation on Cognitive Function of the Elderly April 13, 2001.
- ^ Roberts and Sternberg Letters to the Editor: Do Nutritional Supplements Improve Cognitive Function in the Elderly, November 12, 2002.
- ^ a b Brody, Jane (May 6, 2004). "A Top Scientist's Research is Under Attack". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
- ^ White, Caroline (January 10, 2004). "Three journals raise doubts on validity of Canadian study". BMJ. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
- ^ "CBC Documentary".
- ^ Nutrition Retracts 2001 Paper on TheScientist.com
- ^ Seth Roberts Blog. "Seth", 10 May 2014. Retrieved on 6 June 2014.
Further reading
- Roberts, Seth (December 2010). "The unreasonable effectiveness of my self-experimentation". Medical Hypotheses. 75 (6): 482–489. PMID 20580874.
External links
- sethroberts.net, his official website with blog and forum
- "Self-Experimenter Freed Himself from Insomnia, Acne and Love Handles: Seth Roberts says the key to self-help lies in the scientific method," by Scientific American's J.R. Minkel
- What Makes Food Fattening? A Pavlovian Theory of Weight Control, outline of his theory of calorie-associated flavors raising the set point
- Self-experimentation as a source of new ideas: Ten examples about sleep, mood, health, and weight