Have you ever wondered why you snack after going to the gym?
Research suggests Physical activity, whether as a reward for a task completed or to replenish expended energy, often leads to increased food intake.
With countless broadcast sporting events and sports games constantly on our screens, a new question arises: does watching sports on a screen affect how much we eat?
The answer is yes. Our Research Co-author Janine LaSaleta It turns out watching sports videos increases candy consumption, but that’s not all: the difficulty of the sport being watched also plays a key role in this effect.
From screens to junk food
We first invited 112 students, Grenoble Business School Laboratory Watch a video and taste the candy. Half of the students watched the video with a man and half with a woman. Playing sportsThe other half Without any physical activity.
Then, each student was given a 70-gram cup of candy and asked to judge its quality for three minutes. Students who watched the sports video ate more candy than students who watched the video without physical activity.
Initial tests showed that watching sports videos increased candy consumption, but a surprising finding emerged: Male students consumed significantly more candy than female students, so this result may have been driven by the consumption of men. It was also unclear whether the type of sport watched influenced candy intake.
To learn more, the girls were asked to watch videos of either easy (easy running) or difficult sports (long jump, gymnastics, baseball, rugby, and rock climbing) before tasting the same candies.
Students who watched Easy sports video Those who watched the video (which showed a woman and a man running through various landscapes) Difficult sports video (18 grams)
Therefore, we can conclude that the difficulty or ease of the exercises displayed significantly influences candy consumption, i.e., watching an easily performed sport leads to significantly more candy intake than watching a difficult sport.
Why did this happen?
To explain our findings, we looked at the following studies: Goal MotivationWhen people feel like they are not reaching their goals, they will try harder, but when they start to see progress, they tend to slack off.
For example, someone aiming to stay healthy may feel they have made good progress after exercising and relax their efforts, which may decrease their motivation to pursue related goals, such as eating healthily.
the study It has been shown that achieving small goals (such as exercising) can make people feel like they’ve had a break and may result in them eating more food, so if you complete an exercise session you may be more likely to eat extra food as a reward than if you hadn’t finished the session.
And why are women more likely to eat candy after watching easy sports videos? display Women are more concerned about their weight than men, and therefore their diet goals are more salient.
Our research suggests that simply watching sports can make you feel like you’ve indirectly achieved your fitness goals. If you can imagine yourself doing the sport you’re watching, you might feel like you’ve already exercised, which could lead to more indulgent food choices.
When people perceive a presented exercise as easy rather than difficult, they can more easily imagine themselves performing it, leading to a greater sense of progress toward their fitness goals. This perceived sense of accomplishment makes them feel entitled to indulgence, increasing their desire for rewards, which often leads to increased eating.
so what?
This knowledge can be used by policymakers and marketers aiming to promote healthy lifestyles: when promoting health activities, picturing physical activities that are perceived as too easy may lead people to feel a greater sense of achievement, which may be counterproductive and lead to increased consumption.
An alternative solution suggests doing an easy bout of exercise (such as walking or jogging) followed by a more demanding bout of exercise (such as a sprint or marathon).
This approach motivates people to start basic exercise while reminding them that they still have a long way to go to reach their fitness goals. This strategy may be an alternative way to promote physical activity without giving a false sense of accomplishment.
So what’s the lesson for us? Pay attention to how watching sports affects your eating habits. If you want to stick to your diet, watch a more challenging sport. It might help you avoid eating that extra chocolate bar.
Additionally, when you set weight loss goals, remember that real progress comes from consistent effort rather than simply picturing yourself exercising. Participate in activities that truly challenge you and combine that with mindful eating habits. This will help you avoid the trap of overeating because you feel you’ve achieved your fitness goal prematurely.
So, should you watch the Olympics if you want to stay on a diet? Of course you should, but you might be better off picking the most difficult exercises you think are best and watching them in moderation.
Birau MiaAssociate Professor of Marketing, EM Lyon Business School and Carolina OC WerleProfessor of Marketing, Grenoble School of Management (GEM)
This article is reprinted from conversation Published under a Creative Commons license. Original Article.
