reusable bags make people buy organic--and junk

[la tortue]

https://hbr.org/2015/04/reusable-bags-m ... icand-junk

Interesting article about how bringing reusable bags to the grocery store could influence your food purchases.

In consumer psychology the word “licensing†is the key. If I behave well in one situation, I give myself license to misbehave in another, unrelated situation. Similar research has also been done on health decisions. I get a Diet Coke; I treat myself to a hamburger. In this case bringing a bag makes you think you’re environmentally friendly, so you get some ice cream. You feel you’ve earned it.

[reinhard]

Another example of the "halo" effect.

In Mindless Eating, Brian Wansink describes a curious phenomenon: When products are marketed as healthy, people eat more of them because they think, “Hey, it’s healthy.†They’ll even go on to eat more of some obviously unhealthy food because they think, “Hey, I just ate something healthy, I’ve got virtue to burn.†They feel somehow blessed by this contact with the healthy food. Wansink calls this the “health halo†effect. And it’s obviously very unhealthy. Don’t fall for it.2

Engels, Reinhard; Kallen, Ben (2008-03-04). The No S Diet: The Strikingly Simple Weight-Loss Strategy That Has Dieters Raving--and DroppingPounds (pp. 155-156). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.

[reinhard]

Or more accurately, "healthy halo" is a special case of "licensing."

[oolala53]

This reminds me I read of a phenomenon in which menus that included salads tended to have customers who order MORE high calorie foods. The explanation was that just seeing that there was something "healthy" to get made people feel more virtuous, and thus deserving of heavier foods!

[HappyHiker]

This reminds me I read of a phenomenon in which menus that included salads tended to have customers who order MORE high calorie foods. The explanation was that just seeing that there was something "healthy" to get made people feel more virtuous, and thus deserving of heavier foods!

I wonder if there is an opposite effect that could be made use of. For example, yesterday I went to the store so I went ahead and got a four pack of those Dr. Peppers with real sugar so I could drink one Saturday. Last night I changed my mind about what to have for dinner and had something healthier instead. I wonder if opening the fridge and seeing the Dr. Peppers messed with my mind.

[oolala53]

I'm pretty sure that is atypical.