Does Organic Food Turn People Into Jerks?
Can choosing to eat organic food pave the way towards moral depravity? That's what this new study published this week in Social Psychology & Personality Science is claiming.
The study involved observing labels found on organic food. The researchers divided 60 people into three groups. One group was shown pictures of clearly labelled organic food, another was shown pictures of comfort foods like brownies and cookies, while the third group which acted as the control were shown non-organic, non-comfort foods.
Each subject was then asked to read a series of vignettes describing moral transgressions. The subjects had to judge these acts on a scale of one to seven. During the second phase of the study, the same subjects were asked to write down the amount of time (between one and 30 minutes) they would be willing to volunteer. The study revealed that those exposed to pictures of organic foods were consistently more judgemental and were less likely to volunteer on altruistic deeds. The study's authors conclude that:
The study involved observing labels found on organic food. The researchers divided 60 people into three groups. One group was shown pictures of clearly labelled organic food, another was shown pictures of comfort foods like brownies and cookies, while the third group which acted as the control were shown non-organic, non-comfort foods.
Each subject was then asked to read a series of vignettes describing moral transgressions. The subjects had to judge these acts on a scale of one to seven. During the second phase of the study, the same subjects were asked to write down the amount of time (between one and 30 minutes) they would be willing to volunteer. The study revealed that those exposed to pictures of organic foods were consistently more judgemental and were less likely to volunteer on altruistic deeds. The study's authors conclude that:
People may feel like they've done their good deed. That they have
permission, or license, to act unethically later on. It's like when you
go to the gym and run a few miles and you feel good about yourself, so
you eat a candy bar.
