Owen Thomas decided to lose weight. So he turned to his iPhone:

For 315 days straight, I logged into a Web site or popped out my phone and confessed what I ate, how much I exercised and what I weighed. When I went to the gym, I also checked in on Foursquare, announcing my location to friends and eventually winning the rank of “mayor” of my local gym. When I completed my food and exercise diary, the computer informed my Facebook friends; when I lost weight, it broadcast the news to the world on Twitter.

The story’s interesting, as is the list of apps. But the psychology behind why this all works is fascinating:

I’ve also attracted a virtual cheering squad who routinely click “Like” on my Facebook fitness updates, including one friend, Jennie Dal Busco, a corporate lawyer and new mom, who found solace for her limited ability to exercise during her pregnancy through the vicarious viewing of my gym exploits. Now that her daughter has arrived, my friend has taken up jogging with a stroller.

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