How did the mayor of New York City attempt to get his citizens to think more rationally by banning the Big Gulp?
Subject: Prefrontal Cortex - Bloomberg’s Ban
Event: New York City’s soda ban takes effect, 2013
On this day in 2013, New York City’s soda ban went into effect. The ban enacted by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s administration forbade the sale of sweetened drinks in quantities over 16 fluid ounces.
The ban made national news, and many decried it as a quintessential example of government overreach. A second look at the ban from a psychological perspective reveals that it might just be an example of how government legislation might be successful in nudging citizens toward more thoughtful, conscious decisions.
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Writing for Psychology Today, Meg Selig points out that the ban really did not limit anyone’s freedom; after all, someone who wanted to drink 32 ounces of soda was free to buy a second 16-ounce drink. The key, however, is that the ban requires the consumer to pause and contemplate their purchase. This pause increases an individual’s willpower by activating the brain’s executive branch, the part of the brain that makes conscious decisions rather than reacting in ways
that are instinctive or emotional. Instead of mindlessly chugging 32 ounces of sugary soda, there’s at least a chance that a person might consciously choose to drink more moderately. In Seig’s words, “. . . you’ve strengthened your willpower because you’ve activated your higher brain, the prefrontal cortex (PFC). This pause truly is ‘the pause that refreshes'” (1).
A 2006 study showed how much a container can influence the amount of food we consume. At an ice cream social, 85 partygoers were randomly given either a 17 oz bowl or a 34 oz bowl. To scoop the ice cream, individuals were given either a 2 oz. scooper or a 3 oz. scooper. The results revealed that those with larger bowls ate 30% more ice cream than those with smaller bowls; likewise, the participants with larger scoopers ate 14% more than those with smaller
scoopers. The people who had both the larger bowl and the larger scooper ate 50% more ice cream than those with smaller bowls and scoopers. These results are even more surprising when you consider the fact that all participants in the study were nutrition experts. Clearly, anyone can engage in mindless eating, and a smaller bowl and or spoon can serve as a useful intervention or nudge to help people eat less (2).
Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason: How would a psychologist describe how Bloomberg's soda ban nudges citizens in a positive way? In the ice cream study, how much more ice cream did people with a large bowl and large scooper eat?
Challenge - Wink, Wink, Nudge, Nudge: Do some research on nudges to see how they are being tested and employed in the real world. Report on one specific example.
Sources:
1-Selig, Meg. “Attention, Soda Junkies! Bloomberg's Ban on Over-Sized Sodas Could Increase Your Willpower.” Psychology Today 25 June 2012.
2-”Use Smaller Plates for a Smaller Waist” Stanford University
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