Fast food logos unconsciously trigger fast behaviour
Posted on: March 22, 2010 8:30 AM, by Ed Yong...
...Chen-Bo Zhong and Sanford DeVoe have found that fast food can actually induce haste and impatience, in ways that have nothing to do with eating. They showed that subliminal exposure to fast food symbols, such as McDonalds' golden arches, can actually increase people's reading speed. Just thinking about these foods can boost our preferences for time-saving goods and even nudge us towards financial decisions that value immediate gains over future returns.
Wow.
I wonder if the effect would be the same with someone like me who has been effectively "off the sauce" for so long--I haven't been a regular McDonald's customer in more than 5 years and don't watch commercial TV, either.
However, I have a feeling that this effect would still work on me since, when I'm out and about, and happen to see the big yellow "M," I immediately think: "FRIES!" and then think better of getting any.
OK, so once or twice a year, I give in and buy fries, but the other times I just ignore the urge.
...kinda scary, since I really don't ever want to eat McDonald's "food" ever again.
I look forward to augmented reality technology that will allow me to filter fast-food logos from what I see every day. This kind of mental infiltration is NOT cool...
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