30 People Doing Not So Smart Things That Will Ruin Your Faith in Humanity

While food is the classic example, anything we deprive ourselves of in the name of self-improvement—screen time, spending, sugar--invites the What the Hell effect.  Even a little bit of criminal behavior can snowball: “I got away with stealing that pack of gum, might as well try for the jeans!” In short, we aim for cold turkey, only to end up going whole hog.