There’s new evidence that unhealthy food cravings can be crushed in as few as two minutes with one simple trick.
How the duration of a scent affects cravings
University of South Florida researchers did some experiments to determine how the ambient scent of certain foods might impact someone’s decision to eat or purchase healthy or unhealthy foods.
Using the aroma of health foods, such as apples or strawberries, as well as the aroma of unhealthy foods, such as pizza or cookies, they found that there’s a particular time limit related to food choices.
People exposed to the scent of unhealthy food for 30 seconds or less were more likely to choose unhealthy foods. But when they were exposed to the aroma of unhealthy foods for at least two minutes, they were more likely to make healthy food choices!
Aromas affect cravings in multiple settings
The experiment was done in a middle school cafeteria with approximately 900 children over three days, in a lab and in a grocery store. The results were all similar. It’s also worth noticing that the healthy and unhealthy foods’ scents didn’t affect how much money the people spent at the grocery store, though it did affect what they purchased. When the scent of chocolate chip cookies was present for more than two minutes, customers purchased fewer unhealthy foods.
As the authors of the study explain, “We propose that this occurs because scents related to an indulgent food satisfy the reward circuitry in the brain, which in turn reduces the urge for actual consumption of indulgent foods. Using cookie-scented air fresheners or scented candles could possibly nudge healthier choices at home.”
The study’s results were published in the Journal of Marketing Research.
Although more research has to be done, there may be enough information to help you fight your cravings. The next time you smell unhealthy foods, make sure you sniff it for at least two minutes.
