Thaindian News

Washington, April 11 (ANI): Psychologists have long recognized that how we perceive a particular trait of a person can be influenced by how we perceive other traits of the same individual. In other words, the fact that a person has a positive attribute can radiate a ‘halo’, resulting in the perception that other characteristics associated with that person are also positive.

Now, a study has suggested that “the halo effect” may be applied to foods, and ultimately influence what and how much we eat.

For instance, research has shown that people tend to consume more calories at fast-food restaurants claiming to serve “healthier” foods, compared to the amount they eat at a typical burger-and-fry joint.

The reasoning is that when people perceive a food to be more nutritious, they tend to let their guard down when it comes to being careful about counting calories-ultimately leading them to overeat or feel entitled to indulge.

This health halo effect also seems to apply to certain foods considered by many to be especially healthy, such as organic products. Specifically, some people mistakenly assume that these foods are more nutritious just because they carry an “organic” label -an area of longstanding active debate among food and nutrition scientists.

As part of her master’s research, Jenny Wan-chen Lee, a graduate student in Cornell University’s Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, asked whether the “health halo” surrounding organic foods would lead people to automatically perceive them as tastier or lower in calories.

She tested this question by conducting a double-blind, controlled trial in which she asked 144 subjects at the local mall to compare what they thought were conventionally and organically produced chocolate sandwich cookies, plain yogurt, and potato chips. All of the products, however, were actually of the organic variety - they were just labeled as being “regular” or “organic.”

Confirming Lee’s health halo hypothesis, the subjects reported preferring almost all of the taste characteristics of the organically-labeled foods, even though they were actually identical to their conventionally-labeled counterparts.

The foods labeled “organic” were also perceived to be significantly lower in calories and evoked a higher price tag. In addition, foods with the “organic” label were perceived as being lower in fat and higher in fiber.

Overall, organically-labeled chips and cookies were considered to be more nutritious than their “non-organic” counterparts.

The study has been presented at the Experimental Biology 2011 meeting. (ANI)