Will Watching the Olympic Games Make You Eat More?

The Connection Between Watching Sports and Food Consumption

Ever wondered why you reach for a snack after watching a sports event on TV? Research shows that physical exercise often leads to increased food consumption, whether it is treating yourself for a job well done or replenishing the energy you have burned. With the Olympic Games just around the corner, a new question arises: Can watching sports on a screen also influence how much we eat?

The answer is yes. Our research reveals that watching sports’ videos can increase candy consumption. But there is more to the story: the difficulty of the sports you are watching plays a crucial role in these effects.

From Screens to Junk Food

We conducted an experiment in which 112 students watched a video and tested some candies. Half of the students watched a video with men and women playing sports, while the other half watched one without any physical activity. We then gave each student a 70g cup of candy and asked them to judge its quality for three minutes. The students who saw the sports’ video ate more candy than those who saw the one without physical activity.

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Our initial test thus revealed that watching sports’ videos can boost candy consumption, but here’s the twist: male students indulged in far more candy than female students, so maybe the results were triggered by males’ consumption. Plus, we were still unsure if the type of sport watched affects the candy intake.

The Ease of the Exercise Matters

To learn more, we invited just the female students to watch videos portraying either easy (light running) or difficult-to-perform sports (athletics long jump, gymnastics, baseball, rugby or rock climbing). After, the students were invited to test the same candies as before. Students who watched the easy sports video ate much more candy (30.1 grams) than those who watched the difficult sports video (18 grams).

We can thus conclude that the ease or difficulty of the exercise shown significantly impacts candy consumption – watching easy-to-perform sports leads to considerably higher candy intake than watching difficult ones.

Why Does This Happen?

To explain our findings, we looked at research on goal motivation. When people feel they are not meeting a goal, they push harder; but once they see progress, they tend to slack off. For example, after a workout, those aiming to stay fit might feel they have made good progress and then ease up on their efforts. This can lead to a drop in motivation to pursue related goals, like healthy eating.

Research shows that achieving smaller goals (like exercising) can make people feel they have earned a break, which can result in indulging more in food. So completing a workout might make you more likely to reward yourself with extra food than if you had not finished your session.

What’s the Takeaway?

This knowledge can be used by policymakers or marketers who aim to encourage healthful lifestyles. When promoting healthy activities by picturing physical activity that seems too easy, people may feel a greater sense of achievement that could backfire and lead to increased consumption. We suggest showing an easy exercise (like walking or jogging) followed by a tougher one (like sprinting or marathon running) as an alternative solution.

So what is the takeaway for us? Be mindful of how watching sports can affect our eating habits. If you are aiming to stay on track with your diet, watch more challenging sports – it might just help you resist that extra chocolate bar. Moreover, when setting dieting goals, remind yourself that real progress comes from consistent effort, not just imagining yourself doing a workout.

Conclusion

Will watching the Olympic Games make you eat more? It’s possible, especially if you watch the easy-to-perform sports events. But with this knowledge, you can take control of your snacking habits. Remember, the ease or difficulty of the exercise shown can significantly impact candy consumption – watching easy-to-perform sports leads to considerably higher candy intake than watching difficult ones.

FAQs

Q: Does this research only apply to women? A: No, our research found that men also tend to consume more candy after watching easy-to-perform sports. However, the difference between male and female consumption was significant.

Q: Is the difficulty of the sport the only factor affecting food consumption? A: No, our research found that the type of sport and the gender of the participants also play a role in food consumption.

Q: Can I use this research to promote healthy eating habits? A: Yes, policymakers and marketers can use this research to promote healthy activities and avoid promoting easy-to-perform sports that may lead to increased consumption.

Q: How can I avoid the temptation to overindulge while watching the Olympic Games? A: One way is to watch more challenging sports events, or to pair your sports viewing with mindful eating habits. Remind yourself that real progress comes from consistent effort, not just imagining yourself doing a workout.