Monkey see, monkey eat

by Marisa McClellan, Posted Sep 25th 2007 @ 11:29AM

Apparently, when it comes to food, absence does not make the heart grow fonder. Out of sight, out of mind is actually closer to the truth (shall we see how many more cliches I can use before the first paragraph is done?). According to scientists, humans have a very hard time resisting the siren song of the candy jar, because if we see it and it's easy to get to, we're going to have a hard time keeping ourselves away.

Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab has been studying the way people eat, both at home and at work, for years now and have determined that if we see it, we want to eat. According to Brian Wansick, the head of Cornell's Lab, "what really influences our eating are visibility and convenience." Their results make sense to me. If I know that there's ice cream in freezer, it calls to me all evening until I break down and liberate it from it's icy home. However, if I know that there isn't any in there, I may still want it in the abstract, but I'm not going to run out and buy a pint.

What do you guys think? If you know that a treat is only as far away as your co-worker's desk or the freezer or the cabinet over the fridge, how hard is it to resist?

Photo link

Filed Under: Science, Newspapers, On the Blogs
Tags: CNN, Cornell University, cravings, eating, Food and Brand Lab, overeating, snacking, temptation

Chew on This

Royal Wedding Cake Details Revealed! - YumSugar

Make Your Own Pop Tarts - CHOW
Denny's Introduces a Maple Bacon Sundae - Eater
Whole Foods Opening Bars in Stores - USA Today
Rules Of Bar Etiquette -- For The Bartender - HuffPost Food

Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-25-2007 @5:54PM Dani @ Catch the Spoon said... When I started my new job, I was concerned about the candy dish on my desk for this exact reason. For the first few weeks, I ate it almost constantly, because it was in my direct line of sight. Somewhere in the past month, however, I stopped entirely - now I'll have maybe on piece a week. I think it's easier now since it's not a novelty anymore. Thanks for making me think about it!
Reply

Vote upVote downReport

9-25-2007 @5:59PM jsmylie said... I knew there was a scientific explanation! I just called it the "gas station effect," because however badly I wanted a candy bar at any given time, I'd never go and get one; but even if I hadn't been wanting a candy bar, once I saw the racks at the gas station I'd have to buy one.
Reply