Jan. 22, 2013 Bad news about the economy could cause you to pack
on the pounds, according to a new study published in
Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for
Psychological Science. The study shows that when there is a
perception of tough times, people tend to seek higher-calorie
foods that will keep them satisfied longer. When subconsciously
primed with such messages, a "live for today" impulse is
triggered causing people to consume nearly 40 percent more food
than when compared to a control group primed with neutral words.
"The findings of this study come at a time when our country is
slowly recovering from the onslaught of negative presidential
campaign ads chalked with topics such as the weak economy, gun
violence, war, deep political divides, just to name a few
problem areas," said Juliano Laran, an assistant professor of
marketing at the University of Miami School of Business
Administration, who conducted the research with doctoral student
Anthony Salerno. "Now that we know this sort of m