Wait — What? 25 Seconds to Better Health

In a world where immediate gratification has become the expected norm the idea of promoting a product that makes you wait seems counterintuitive. But what if this product helped us do what we’ve been unable to do by ourselves?  What if the product helped us wait twenty-five seconds so we could make better health choices?  This is the research being done at Rush University Medical Center where they have discovered programing vending machines to delay access to the temptatious high-calorie snacks can help people purchase something they are less drawn to — healthier snacks. Brad Appelhans, PhD, clinical psychologist, the lead investigator of the study at the Rush University Prevention Center, points out: “Research shows that humans strongly prefer immediate gratification, and this preference influences choices and behavior in daily life. — Having to wait for something makes it less desirable.” We’ve all been on the checkout line where the impulse buying of junk food has, at the very least, tempted us. Junk food is immediately available everywhere — and perhaps most notoriously through the 1.3 million snack vending machines across the U.S. The impulse to get something right away has become a dynamic that is now part of motivation science. We want what we want when we want it. But what if we could use that drive for something other than impulse buying. Is there a way that we could manage and channel that desire? What the researchers have done is rigged...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Habits Mental Health and Wellness Proof Positive Diet Food Choices high calorie snacks Motivation Nutrition snacking Source Type: blogs