Research paper
Cutler DM, Glaeser EL, Shapiro JM. “Why have Americans become more obese?” Journal of Economic Perspectives. 2003;17(3):93-118. doi:10.1257/089533003769204371.
Why we cite it
Provides an economic analysis of why Americans became more obese after 1980. Demonstrates that the increase is driven by increased caloric intake (not reduced exercise), and that the caloric increase results from technological innovations in mass food preparation that lowered the time cost of food consumption. The paper’s key insight — that the shift from home preparation to mass preparation made food available more frequently with less effort, driving increased snacking — reframes obesity as an environmental/technological problem rather than a personal failure.
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