It’s actually not complicated at all. The reason most smartphone diet apps fail has nothing to do with the diet, and little to do with the app. A team of Drexel researchers is working on a solution to the real problem: getting people to stick to their diets.

If it proves to be effective, their new DietAlert app could add a smart layer of psychology to the weight loss app in your pocket.

Evan Forman, PhD, the Drexel psychology professor who leads the team, points out that there are many diets that are proven to help people lose weight when followed; these include most diets that involve consuming fewer calories, whether through reducing carbohydrates (such as the Atkins diet) or tallying calorie consumption as points (such as Weight Watchers), or other means. But it’s extremely common for people to eventually cheat and break the diet’s rules. If they don’t follow…