Fast Food Exposure Can Make Us Impatient, Research Warns

(Newswire.net — January 13, 2023) Orlando, FL — Over the years, researchers have been warning against the negative health effects of eating fast food. It is worth being warned that fast food may not only be bad for the body but could also be harmful to one’s bank account.

Researchers at the Rotman School of Management carried out a study and found that mere exposure to fast food and related symbols can make people impatient. Further, it increases preference for time-saving products and lessens willingness to save.

“Fast food represents a culture of time efficiency and instant gratification,” says Chen-Bo Zhong, who co-wrote the paper with colleague Sanford DeVoe.

The findings of this research were published in Psychological Science. 

“The problem is that the goal of saving time gets activated upon exposure to fast food regardless of whether the time is a relevant factor in the context. For example, walking faster is time efficient when one is trying to make a meeting, but it’s a sign of impatience when one is going for a stroll in the park. We’re finding that the mere exposure to fast food is promoting a general sense of haste and impatience regardless of the context.”

In one experiment, the investigators started by flashing fast-food symbols like the golden arch of McDonald’s on a computer screen for a few milliseconds. It was so quick that the subjects were unable to consciously identify what they saw. 

It’s been found that such unconscious exposure increased the reading speed in the subsequent tasks of the subjects compared to those in a control condition. It remained true even when there was no advantage to finishing sooner. 

In another study, the participants who remembered a time when they eat at a food restaurant subsequently preferred time-saving products, such as two-in-one shampoo, over regular products. 

The final experiment has shown that individuals exposed to fast food logos have shown greater reluctance for saving. For instance, they opted for a small immediate payment rather than opting for a much larger delayed payment.

There are many undesirable health effects associated with fast food intake. It is worth keeping in mind that it is also one of the major culprits of obesity, which is associated with a myriad of undesirable health issues.

Obesity may also result from sedentariness, and this is why it is strongly recommended to resort to measures helpful in managing a healthy weight. To enhance exercise performance and adherence, it is wise to take into account the use of Divine Bounty L-Carnitine (www.amazon.com/dp/B06XF7K9MM).