Seeing this picture on the menu could make you more likely to choose a
higer-calorie meal, scientists say
McDonald's carries salads, yogurt parfaits and fish sandwiches.
Kentucky Fried Chicken is rolling out a new line of healthier, grilled meat.
Do these healthy choices lead Americans to eat healthier? Not according to new findings published in the Journal of Consumer Research, which suggest that having these nutritious foods on the menu may ironically influence people to pick the worst options instead.
Most people want to eat things that are good for them. But the problem,
according to a group of psychologists at Duke University and Loyola College in
Baltimore, is that
our brains may reward us just for looking at healthy foods, so that we can
choose foods poor in nutrition with a clear conscience.
"The mere presence of a healthy item on the menu helps to fulfill your goal to
eat healthy,"
She calls this psychological trickery "vicarious goal fulfillment."
clipped from: www.aip.org 