Let me guess; you’re here because you love fast food. The bad news is that just by reading the words “fast food,” you may be already craving it. If that doesn’t do the trick, there are a couple of images below that should seal the deal. Most people love fast food, and this is no accident. Almost everything about fast food, from ingredients to marketing, is designed to make you crave it over and over again. If you’ve always wondered why you love fast food so much outside of the obvious “it tastes amazing” logic, here are five more reasons why you may love fast food.
Your Brain Prefers High-Calorie Foods
Consider this a small lesson in human evolution. It’s believed that people’s brains evolved substantially during a time when food was scarce, so human beings became adept at choosing foods that had a lot of calories. Scientists have also discovered that the brain prefers caloric food due to the body’s need to store energy. You may be craving fast food because of an evolutionary drive to survive.
Your Mind Responds Positively to Marketing
Fast food companies follow the path of Pavlov when it comes to advertising. Fast food marketing uses catchy songs, mascots, and logos, and these are merely more advanced forms of getting a dog to drool after a bell rings. This marketing can cause your brain to release dopamine, which can produce cravings even stronger than the colonel’s secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices. It’s finger-licking not fair.
You’re Seeing Red
Color psychology will never be an exact science, but there’s a reason why most fast food companies use the color red. When people see red, their blood pressure may rise, their heart rate may increase, and their appetite may be activated. Warm colors like yellow also have the same effect. Does the fashion of one Mr. Ronald McDonald make McSense yet?
Fast Food Stokes Your Memory
You know how you like to watch the same movie or your favorite TV show over and over again? Well, the same rule applies to fast food. Neuroscience studies have shown that much of the pleasure induced by eating food is tied to memory. Of course, flavor and taste are factors, but fast food is designed to give you the same food experience each time you eat it. Fast food provides you with the perfect comfort food.
You Love Sugar
Fast food items are notorious for containing a ton of sugar, and ingesting sugar can increase dopamine levels. Regularly eating sugar may cause a binge and withdrawal cycle and may lead to dependency.
