Food Porn & Food Theft

1. Food Porn & Food Theft Food Porn and Food Theft Food porn affecting the likelihood of young males committing food theft http://foodporndaily.com/explore/food/ http://fotosa.ru/ru/stock/search.asp?ID=2538250&anchor=3

2. Abstract This study examined the likelihood of individuals committing food theft after being exposed to visually appealing images of food(i.e. food porn). The participants in this study were males aged 19-24 years old. The experimental group was made up of 20 individuals who were shown 10 minutes of food porn everyday for two weeks. The control group, also 20 individuals, was shown 10 minutes of bland images of food for the same period of time. At the end of the study the participants rated their likelihood of stealing food using the Food-Steal-O-Meter scale. The study showed that after exposure to the food porn, young males in the experimental group were more likely to steal food than those in the control group, with a p-value of 0.031. VS. http://forum.grasscity.com/great-indoors/516735-yoommm-food-porn.html http://m-s-marine-survey.com/About%20Us.htm

3. Introduction Food porn is a worldwide phenomenon that effects society, the advertisement industry, and individuals. It is rare that we stop to consider the possible outcomes and implications of such hedonistic imagery. According to urbandictionary, food porn is defined as “ close up images of juicy, and delicious food in advertisements.” This study was conducted to provide insight on the effects of food porn. http://www.utahpeoplespost.com/opinion/2986/the-other-pornography

4. Food Porn Defined: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09Fd64V3U10&feature=channel http://www.examiner.com/art-industry-in-seattle/how-to-see-anthony-bourdain-and-save-136-00

5. Literature • Penrodand VanDalen closely examined food consumption in kids aged newborn till 12 years old. (Penrod & VanDalen, 2010). • Children's responses to familiar vs. unfamiliar food were studied. It was shown that exposure to multiple types of food leads to children being more comfortable with unknown food. (Mustonen & Tuorila, 2010). • Studies have shown that food advertising greatly increase food consumption. (Harris, Bargh, Brownell, Kelly, 2009). http://www.dinendance.com/Appetizers.html

6. Hypothesis: • If young males are exposed to food porn than they are more likely to commit food theft. http://foodporndaily.com/explore/food/page/4/

7. Independent & Dependant Variables • Independent Variable Food Porn- visually appealing images of food • Dependant Variable Likelihood of Stealing Food- measured with the Steal-O-Meter Scale www.thebeautybubble.com

8. Confounding Variable • Hunger levels • Answering untruthfully to survey • Control foods still look appealing • Allergies • Eating Disorders • Response Bias Due To: -Preferences in food taste - Culture and Religion -Dietary Choice -Moral against stealing -Age and Gender http://www.birdsong-peanuts.com/

9. Methods and Procedure • Forty young men aged 19-24 were randomly selected and divided into two separate groups. One being the control group and one the experimental group. • Both the participants in the control group and the experimental group were individually placed in identical simple white walled cubicles. There were no windows in the vicinity and the air was filtered. No scents were permitted in the area and electronic devices were asked to be turned off. The cubicles contained only the chairs of the participants and the computer screens were set to the experimental videos and images. The images and videos were shown to each participant for 10 minutes everyday at 3pm for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks the participants filled out a Steal-O-Meter survey. • The experimental group was instructed to watch the visually appealing images and videos of food(i.e. food porn) on their computer screens. • The control group was instructed to watch images and videos of bland food on their computer screens.

10. Steal-O-Meter 0 - Never1 - Unlikely2 - Maybe just once3 - Probably4 - Very Likely5 - Om nom nom. http://blogs.e-rockford.com/bricksandclicks/category/cookie-monster/ http://www.clker.com/clipart-15414.html http://teaisreallygood.blogspot.com/2009/07/grass-is-greener-on-other-side.html

11. Results

12. Discussion Problems with research: • Although we chose three o’clock as our experimental time, because it was between two meal times, subjects ranging metabolism affected their hunger levels. • The fact that all the subjects were roughly the same age, gender, and from the same part of the country, could potentially be an inaccurate population sample • All the experimental subjects had different preferences in food. What acted as food porn for some, wasn’t appealing to others. This could be due to social class, ethnicity, or cultural predisposition. http://foodporndaily.com/explore/food/page/6/

13. Discussion Future Research: • Extreme hunger causes higher crime rate in homelessness • Food porn is a very effective form of advertisingin young males • What are possible societal implications of food porn? http://www.fitsugar.com/NYC-Chain-Restaurants-Required-Display-Calories-Starting-Monday-1557119

14. Discussion Applications: • Raises awareness of the effects of appealing food in the advertising industry, demonstrating that food porn causes people to want food they would otherwise not desire. • Informs the public that extreme hunger and psychological effects of food porn can lead to serious lapses in moral decisions, leading people to potentially commit acts of deviance. • Raising awareness of the possible social implications of Food Theft as a result of exposure to food porn. http://www.riverfronttimes.com/slideshow/food-porn-at-taste-of-st-louis-2009-28522415/

15. Summary In today’s society imagery plays a huge role in advertising; the impact on society and the individuals exposed to such advertising is still fairly new and unknown. However, as a result of advertising and exposure to images of food in such a way that makes it look attractive, our research showed the likelihood of young males committing food theft is significantly increased. This is shown through the increase in individuals willingness to steal the food of others after being exposed to “food pornography” on a regular basis; while the control group showed significantly less likelihood to steal food after being shown images of less attractive images of food. http://www.harvardculinary.com/page/5/ http://www.chicagogluttons.com/glenns-diner-sea-bass-with-butter/

16. Possible Social Implications of Food Theft? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziQrW-dOGWc http://fffriends.tumblr.com/post/108947098/5x09-tow-ross-sandwich-ross-you-ate-my

17. References • Penrod, B., & VanDalen, K. (2010). An evaluation of emerging preference for non-preferred foods targeted in the treatment of food selectivity. Behavioral Interventions, 25(3), 239-251. Retrieved from PsycINFO database. • Mustonen, S., & Tuorila, H. (2010). Sensory education decreases food neophobia score and encourages trying unfamiliar foods in 8–12-year-old children. Food Quality and Preference, 21(4), 353-360. • Harris, J., Bargh, J., & Brownell, K. (2009). Priming effects of television food advertising on eating behavior. Health Psychology, 28(4), 404-413. doi:10.1037/a0014399. http://www.hemmy.net/2006/05/15/yummy-food/