Mental contrasting for health behaviour change: a systematic review and meta-analysis of effects and moderator variables

Mental contrasting is a self-regulation imagery strategy that involves imagining a desired future and mentally contrasting it with the present reality, which is assumed to prompt the individual to realise that action is required to achieve the desired future. Research has combined mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII) ('if-then' plans), which is hypothesised to strengthen the effects. A systematic review was conducted to...