For some, food seems to be a real comfort in times of depression. American researchers from the University of Miami School of Business Administration decided to verify this idea. They have carried out several studies, the results of which have just been published in the journal Psychological Science.
Favored calorie foods
The researchers offered two groups of individuals to test a new version of famous multicolored chocolate candies. To the first group, they explained that the novelty was in the chocolate which was higher in calories than the original recipe. To the second group, they said the opposite, that is to say that the chocolates were light. In reality the two lots of candy were the same. The researchers then successively showed each group posters indicating either alarming slogans related to struggle or adversity or neutral slogans.
It turned out that after being confronted with disturbing messages, participants ate almost 70% of candies advertised as caloric more than chocolates said to be low in calories. calories. There was no noticeable difference noted between the consumption of the two products when participants saw the neutral slogans.
Unconscious need to stock up
According to the researchers, this is because if people perceive that food resources may be scarce, they are paying more attention to the food with the most calories to make reserves. This phenomenon could be observed even after seeing bad news on the television news for example. Bad luck for those who are considering starting a diet right now !
“It is clear from the studies that the taste was not what caused the reactions, it was a desire for calories”, summarizes Professor Juliano Laran, one of the authors of the study. “These findings could have positive implications for individuals in the field of health and government campaigns on nutrition…”