How Can Curiosity Entice Smarter & Healthier Choices?

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How can your curiosity make you healthier?

Researchers from the American Psychological Association (APA) found that when people’s curiosity was piqued, they were more enticed to take the healthier action required to find out missing information.

Multiple experiments were tested using the same strategies websites creators employ, like “clickbait”. Where the strategy uses catchy titles or headlines on a website to encourage users to take an action, like “click this link” to learn more and find the answers.

Experiment 1: Fortune Cookies

In one experiment, participants were given a choice to pick between two fortune cookies: one plain and one chocolate dipped with sprinkles.

The plain cookie had a fortune note of something personal that the researchers knew about the person being studied, the chocolate-covered cookie had nothing to reveal inside its sugar coated shell.

The majority of those who knew about the note inside the cookie and were curious to what the note said, chose the plain cookie. The control group of participants, who did not know the difference between the cookies, chose the chocolate dipped cookie.

“Our research shows that piquing people’s curiosity can influence their choices by steering them away from tempting desires, like unhealthy foods or taking the elevator,” explained study author Dr. Evan Polman of the University of Wisconsin-Madison to Newswise.

Experiment 2: Jokes

Another study experiment found that when people saw jokes placed outside areas where elevators were- that prompted them to take the stairs for the punchline- stair use increased by 10%.

A similar experiment within grocery stores revealed that fresh produce purchased increased by 10% when placards with a joke were printed around fresh produce and the punchline was put on bag closures.

Researchers concluded that people will go to great lengths to fill the gap of information piqued by curiosity, which could be a useful and affordable strategy for encouraging healthy behavior change towards positive food and exercise choices and actions.

Food Environments

What’s no laughing matter is the inequitable food environments that many Latinos face.

Fast food and corner stores outnumber supermarkets and farmers’ markets in many Latino neighborhoods, according to a Salud America! Research Review. This creates food swamps.

Fortunately, your school can help improve food environments!

One way is using the new Salud America! “School Food Pantry Action Pack.” The Pack is a free guide to help school personnel talk to decision-makers, work through logistics, and start a School Food Pantry to help hungry students and reduce local food insecurity.

A School Food Pantry accepts, stores, and redistributes donated and leftover food to students.

The Action Pack was created by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Ramirez had input from Jenny Arredondo, nutrition director at San Antonio ISD, who started school food pantries on 10 campuses in 2017-18, based on a Texas law change led by Diego Bernal.

“A School Food Pantry can save leftover cafeteria food from being wasted, and redistribute it to students who are hungry and food insecure,” Ramirez said. “It’s a win-win for schools, students, and families.”

Get the Action Pack!