Study Shows How Food Ads Intensify Unhealthy Cravings

Certain types of advertisements make holistic thinkers more prone to unhealthy food cravings, revealed study.

The backgrounds and situations portrayed in food ads influence consumers to buy unhealthy foods. This could be a reason why people around the world are increasingly prone to overeating and excessive weight gain, reveal researchers.

The study showed that certain types of advertisements make holistic thinkers more prone to unhealthy food cravings.

Food Cravings-What Do They Really Mean?
Cravings often signify some need-whether nutritional or mental. Read on to find out if it’s really your sweet tooth or something else.

‘Certain types of advertisements make holistic thinkers more prone to unhealthy food cravings.’

Holistic thinkers tend to believe that everything in the world is somehow interconnected and they are more likely to consider the context of a situation, said Dustin Harding, Assistant Professor at the Utah Valley University in the US.

On the other hand, analytical thinkers are less likely to consider the context because they view the universe as independent objects that are not connected, he added.

For instance, an advertisement showing a bag of popcorn in the context of a movie theatre may evoke feelings related to enjoying popcorn while watching a good flick -- feelings that increase craving for the snack more among holistic thinking consumers whereas the analytical thinkers would probably see the popcorn in isolation from the theatre and experience fewer craving, he explained.

Quiz on Junk Food

"Every living cell in your body is made from the food you eat. If you consistently eat junk food then you’ll have a junk body." - Jeanette Jenkins

Junk food has become increasingly popular in India with many traditional dishes being adapted to suit the emerging fast food trend. International fast food chains like Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Pizza Hut have hundreds of outlets in all major cities and they have plans to invest $100 million more to increase the number of their stores across India to 1,000 by 2015. With junk food now set to become the new “normal”, maybe it’s time to take a step back and think about what goes into these foods? Take our quiz and find out how much you know about junk food:

The researchers hope that the findings published in Journal of Consumer Psychology may help provide a solution to the problem of obesity.

"Regulations on advertisements could be a strategy in countries that are trying to help people make healthier food decisions," Harding said.

Junk Food Ads may Increase Unhealthy Food Cravings Among Teens
Advertisements on commercial TV may be driving youngsters to snack on more unhealthy food.

"Consumers could also become more aware of their thinking styles and make informed choices," he added.

The team conducted experiments where the participants saw a healthy choice (arugula pizza) or unhealthy choice (cheese pizza) in the context of either a pizzeria or a plain, white background.

Do Not Display Unhealthy-Food Ads on Trains: Health Minister
Indian Railways’ move to brand trains and stations to augment revenues may become a platform for promotion of tobacco and unhealthy foods.

Holistic thinkers were more likely than analytical thinkers to crave and want to buy the unhealthy foods shown in the context of a restaurant.

"We aren't claiming to solve the obesity problem, but we hope this research can be one part of the solution," Harding said.

Source-IANS