Research paper
Harris JL, Bargh JA, Brownell KD. Priming effects of television food advertising on eating behavior. Health Psychol. 2009;28(4):404-413.
Why we cite it
Three experiments demonstrating that television food advertising primes automatic eating behavior in both children and adults. Children exposed to food ads consumed 45% more goldfish crackers (d = 0.60) — a snack that was not advertised — than children who saw non-food ads. Adults consumed more of all available foods (both healthy and unhealthy) after snack ads. Critically, the effects were not related to reported hunger or conscious awareness, indicating that food advertising operates through automatic priming rather than conscious craving. This supports the food advertising companion (216): advertising does not merely shift brand preference but triggers a general, unconscious drive to eat.
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