The thought of death stimulates the appetite

Will watching TV news or crime programs make you eat too much? According to a new study in consumer research, people eat more while thinking about their own deaths.

The author Naomi Mandel (Arizona State University) and Dirk Smeesters (Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands) have done some experiments in Europe and the United States by giving participants a paragraph about the feeling of they are against their own death. Then they check the items in the grocery list or the amount of cookies consumed. People who write about their own deaths tend to buy more and eat more than those who write about a difficult medical process (control group).

The authors write: 'People want to eat more than all kinds of food, both beneficial and unfavorable, when thinking about the idea that one day they will die'.

Researchers found that people who were less likely to value themselves in particular often ate much after death-related thoughts. Mandel and Smeesters explain the effectiveness of a theory called 'escape from self-awareness'.

They write: 'When people are reminded of their inevitable death, they begin to feel uncomfortable about what they have done in life and whether they have done anything remarkable in this world. or not. It is a state called 'self-awareness rising'. One way to deal with this uncomfortable state is to run away from it, by eating more or spending more. '

Research also revealed that putting a mirror in front of participants reduced the need to eat.

The authors conclude: 'People, especially those with low self-esteem, can eat more when they encounter images of death in news or favorite programs on investigation. Crime'.

Reference article:

Mandel et al. The Sweet Escape: Effects of Mortality Salience on Consumption Quantities for High and Low ‐ Self ‐ Esteem Consumers. Journal of Consumer Research, 2008; 0 (0): 080514171203817 DOI: 10.1086 / 587626