The psychology behind happy meals apparently works for adults, too — and it could be an effective way to keep them from overeating, according to researchers from the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management and the University of Southern California.
The researchers investigated if adults and children alike would be willing to eat less if they were given a non-food bonus. They conducted seven experiments that made people choose between getting more food and getting less food, but with a bonus.
In all the experiments, the researchers consistently observed the people's preference to forgo a larger meal in exchange for a smaller meal with a prize. In some instances, the study participants chose the smaller meal portions for a mere possibility of getting a prize.
For example, university students and staff were more likely to show preference for half a sandwich plus a chance to win 10,000 frequent flier miles or a $100 gift card over a full sandwich.
This preference did not change when the value of the prize was lessened as participants were still more likely to forgo the full sandwich and choose half a sandwich and a chance to win a $50 gift card. The same pattern was observed in sixth graders. Seventy-eight percent of the study participants ditched the full sandwich for half a sandwich packaged with cheap earbuds.
The interesting thing is that those who chose smaller food portions did not make up for lost calories by eating more.
Study author Martin Reimann, assistant professor of marketing at Eller, said the results of the study can "open up a whole new matrix of ways" to change unhealthy food practices. The "happy meal effect" can be one way to help people eat less.
"If non-food rewards, even small and uncertain ones, can be just as engaging at a neurochemical level, then restaurants can potentially motivate healthier choices without jeopardizing sales, and consumers have more paths to avoid overeating," said Reimann in a press release.
The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
