365 Changes

The Office Candy Bowl

Written by

Craig Constantine

in

Proximity dramatically increases consumption—research by Maas and Hunter shows snacks placed farther away are eaten significantly less often. The office candy bowl presents multiple exposures daily, social normalization, and small-portion rationalization. Willpower alone isn’t a strategy against repeated decisions. This companion explores the proximity effect, the specific challenge of communal snacks, strategy options (change the environment, change your route, establish a rule), and the identity approach that makes the candy bowl irrelevant. (4 min read)

One thought like this, every morning.

You don’t need more information about eating. You need the right idea to show up at the right time — before hunger, before decisions, before habits kick in.

Every morning, 365 Changes sends you one. Not a meal plan. Not a rule. Just a question or idea to sit with while you make coffee. Each one is simple, but they accumulate — and slowly, the way you think about eating starts to shift.

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There’s more to read here — a companion essay that goes deeper into this topic. It might explore why willpower fades by evening, how your kitchen layout shapes what you eat, or what it really means to become someone who simply eats well. Each one takes a few minutes and leaves you thinking.

There are 87 of them across five areas — identity, environment, knowledge, decisions, and troubleshooting — and a Reader membership unlocks them all.

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