TV Ads May Cause Automatic Eating
July 7, 2009 by Peggy Rowland
Filed under Women's Health
Advertisements for food on television can trigger mindless eating of available foods. Automatic or mindless eating occurs when you’re not hungry, and may be a big contributor to obesity.
Yale University researchers conducted several experiments testing the effects of food commercials seen on television. They found that both children and adults eat more when food commercials are aired. Adults were particularly prone to consume more food when they saw commercials for unhealthy food.
Researchers noted that in some cases the snacking observed while watching television with food commercials could lead to a weight gain of up to 10 pounds per year if not countered by increased activity. The study was published in the July issue of the journal Health Psychology.
This makes me wonder: What about watching cooking shows? Do they make you eat more? I suppose those studies are yet to be conducted.
Do you feel that food commercials cause you to engage in mindless eating?
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This study is just like the one talked about in the book called Mindless Eating by Dr. Brian Wansink. He concludes that we all eat more while watching TV and without even realizing it. Any TV not just commercials. It’s a great book with a ton of information. Parker