Here’s a sweet trick: If you’re craving junk food, just wait a few seconds.
People are more likely to choose healthy snacks from vending machines when they’re forced to wait 25 seconds, a new study reveals.
Delayed gratification makes high-calorie grub less appealing to munchies-struck shoppers, according to experts Chicago’s Rush University.
“Having to wait for something makes it less desirable, Brad Appelhans, a clinical psychologist at the Rush University Prevention Center, told Time. “Research shows that humans strongly prefer immediate gratification, and this preference influences choices and behavior in daily life.”
For the study, researchers set up a vending machine system with a 25-second delay on popping out high-calorie snacks.
A LED countdown system appeared on the screen, giving hungry folks a few extra moments to change their minds. That tiny delay prompted many shoppers to switch to healthier and quicker grub, according to researchers.
Overall, the number of healthy snacks people bought from the machine increased from 2 to 5 percent due to the delay.
Vending machines are the most prevalent source of high-calorie snacks in America, which is home to 1.3 million of the contraptions.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.