Study Finds Fast-Food Logos Make You Impatient

A study conducted by the University of Toronto has found that exposure to fast-food logos can cause people to feel impatient and make them more likely to buy things. Subjects in the study were exposed to nearly imperceptible flashes of images (for 12 to 80 milliseconds) which included fast-food logos for some. The subjects were then asked to read about and choose between two different kinds of skin-care treatments, one of which was a three-in-one. Those who had the logos flashed before them read "significantly faster" and chose the more time-saving skin product. From the article: "The researchers concluded 'fast food, originally designed to save time, can have the unexpected consequence of inducing haste and impatience' and 'preference for time-saving products when there are potentially other important aspects upon which to choose a product.' So, basically, driving past a McDonald's on the highway has the potential to not only make you drive faster, it will make you more likely to buy two-for-one Pantene Pro-V Shampoo and Conditioner the next time you go to Duane Reade. One, it seems, is considerably less ominous than the other." I guess this explains why my nephews will chew on their seat belts and try to get out the windows just to be first into the McDonald's Playland.

Re:Lookit the shapes

[Mister Whirly]

If you are experiencing symptoms a mere few hours after eating, that generally isn't food poisoning. You had an upset stomach. "Food poisoning" is thrown about way too much and does not mean you suffered ill effects from food.- it means a specific food borne illness is present in the food. If it had actually been food poisoning, there would have likely been a large outbreak, and believe me you KNOW when it really is food poisoning. You are very sick for multiple days and usually need to be hospitalized. Having the squirts after eating Taco Bell isn't food poisoning - it is just what happens. And eating pizza hot when it arrives is safer than trying to cool it down. The danger zone for bacteria is between 40 - 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Food that is heated to over 140 degrees can be left out at room temperature for up to 4 hours before it would need to be either above 140 or below 40. Putting warm pizza in the fridge right away will actually put it in the danger zone faster than if you just ate it.

Re:Running out of time.

[MBGMorden]

In terms of "good for you" you can go to the grocers and just buy those prewashed bags of salad, and a plastic fork. Enjoy! Faster and cheaper, and you'll have leftovers!

And end up severely malnourished ;). Most of those bagged salads are less than 100. Unless you're eating a LOT more for your other meals and snacking, you can't survive on that. Most adult males are going to need 1600-1800 calories per day minimum to avoid lethargy. Most active men can have the daily recommended 2000 without issue.

Those calories have to come from somewhere. Now, lettuce and other such things we commonly find in salads are GREAT fillers to make your stomach feel full, but you have to also add some other things into your diet to get those calories, because you need them. Grilled meats, non-fried starches, fruits, nuts, etc are all good sources to get that from. Non-fatty salad dressings are also fine in moderation.

Take the mandarin chicken salad for I referenced for example - low in saturated fat & cholesterol, and the entire salad prepared with all included condiments is around 550 calories. In other words, you have 1 for lunch and 1 (or any other similarly laid out meal) for dinner along with a small breakfast and you've still got a decent amount of calories to spare for a few well placed snacks and the like.

Too often there's a tendency to say that "This has sugar so it's bad". "This has salt so it's bad.". "This has fat so it's bad.". The reality is we need a little bit of everything - just not in the quantities provided by a supersized big mac combo.

Look at the big picture instead of single ingredients. Find me anybody who is typically eating salads (even fast food salads, and even the ones with relatively mild non-mayo based dressings), reasonably sized subs (ie, 6" - no footlongs, but yes, even with that evil bread), and/or fast food tacos sans cheese and with grilled chicken, and is drinking water along with those meals rather than sugary sodas. I can pretty much guarantee that they will be of a completely healthy weight and will not have any diet-related health issues.