There is yet another idotic study that claims fast-food logos are branded into the minds of children, and now they will all be obese.
New research is making the claim that the problem of obesity may be because fast food companies and their marketing campaigns are branding logos into the minds of children from an early age.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity has more than tripled over the past 30 years.
The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Kansas Medical Center, showed children 60 logos from popular food brands, like Rice Krispies and KFC and 60 logos from popular non-food brands, like BMW and FedEx. The children were aged between 10 and 14.
Then, using a functional MRI scanner, which measures blood flow to different areas in the brain, they watched the brains of these children react to the different logos.
Does it shock anyone that the purpose of advertising is to imprint logos?
What is it about advertising these researchers don't understand?
Over the years advertisers have tried everything, including subliminal techniques.
Advertisers have attempted to manipulate our vulnerabilities since the 1940's, so this imprinting revelation is nothing new.
Anyway, when showed images of fast food companies, the parts of the brain that control pleasure and appetite lit up. The brains did not do the same when showed images from companies not associated with food.
Really? Our eyes light up when it's about food, like most food loving people.
Besides, how many kids buy BMW's or get involved with FedEx?
When the kids were asked to taste a hamburger from a box with no label, and a hamburger from a box labeled McDonald's, the children overwhelmingly preferred the McDonald's burger.
Researchers' concern is that marketers for these companies are tapping into the reward portions of the brain long before children develop self-control. In addition, most of the foods marketed to children are high in caloric content, sugars, fat and sodium.
"The brains of children are 'imprinted' with food logos," said Dr. Amanda Bruce, who led the study. "Without the necessary inhibitory processes to aid in decision-making, youth are particularly susceptible to making poor choices about what to eat."
We have decided that this study is really a stupid.
Over the years,all of us have been imprinted with logos like Tootsie Rolls, Coca Cola, assorted beer brands, Joe Camel, Hostess cupcakes, Sugar Pops, Bazooka bubblegum.
Marketing imprinting is everywhere, it's been around forever.
It's laughable to ask a kid to taste a hamburger from a plain box with no label, and a hamburger from McDonald's and to draw ridiculous conclusions when the children overwhelmingly preferred the McDonald's burger.
This whole study is really just a waste of time, but if we were going to suffer through this stupidly, we wanted you to join us.
There really was a time when kids rode bikes, played sports, watched television and movies that weren't loaded with pop culture trash.
There was also a time when we allowed kids to be kids.
