The secret to eating less and being happy about it may have been cracked years ago-by McDonald’s. According to anew study from Comnell University’s Food and Brand Lab, small non-food rewards-like the toys in McDonald’s Happy Meals-stimulate the same reward centers in the brain as food does.
The researchers, led by Martin Reimann, carried out a series of experiments to see if people would choose a smaller meal if it was paired with a non-food item.
They found that the majority of both kids and adults opted for a half-sized portion when combined with a prize. Both options were priced the same.
Even more interesting is that the promise of a future reward was enough to make adults choose the smaller portion. One of the prizes used was a lottery ticket, with a S10, $50 or $100 payout, and this was as effective as a tangible gift in persuading people to eat less.
“The fact that participants were willing to substitute part of a food item for the mere prospect of a relatively small monetary award is interesting,” says Reimann.
He theorizes that it is the emotional component of these intangible prizes that make them effective. In fact, vaguely-stated possibilities of winning a prize were more effective than options with hard odds included.
“One explanation for this finding is that possible awards may be more emotionally provoking than certainty awards,” says Reimann. “The uncertainty of winning provides added attraction and desirability through emotional ‘thrills.’ The possibility of receiving an award also produces a state of hope-a state that is in itself psychologically rewarding. “In other words, there’s a reason why people like to gamble.
How might this knowledge be used to help people eat more healthily?
One possibility is a healthy option that offers the chance to win a spa weekend. Or maybe the reward of a half-sized portion could be a half-sized dessert to be claimed only on a future date. That would get you back in the restaurant and make you eat a little less.
1. What do we learn about McDonald’s inclusion of toys in its Happy Meals?| A．It may shed light on people’s desire to crack a secret. |
| B．It has proved to be key to McDonald’s business success. |
| C．It appeals to kid’s curiosity to find out what is hidden inside. |
| D．It may be a pleasant way for kids to reduce their food intake. |
| A．Reducing food intake is not that difficult if people go to McDonald’s more. |
| B．Most kids and adult s don’t actually feel hungry when they cat half of their meal. |
| C．Eating a smaller portion of food does good to the health of kids and adults alike. |
| D．Most kids and adults would choose a smaller meal that came with a non-food item. |
| A．Kids preferred an award in the form of money to one in the form of a toy. |
| B．Adults chose the smaller portion on the mere promise of a future award. |
| C．Both kids and adults felt satisfied with only half of their meal portions. |
| D．Neither children nor adults could resist the temptation of a free toy. |
| A．People should eat much less if they wish to stay healthy and happy. |
| B．More fast food restaurants are likely to follow McDonald’s example. |
| C．We can lead people to eat less while helping the restaurant business. |
| D．More studies are needed to find out the impact of emotion on behavior. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Life getting you down? Learn to bounce back
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Nietzsche said. There are a number of ways that can get us through tough times, help us to bounce back and make us happier.
Find something you can control.
As a species, we tend to focus on what’s wrong rather than what’s right. But we can benefit a lot from paying attention to what’s going right. Psychologists have shown consciously focusing on these good things helps to increase our experience of positive emotions.
Check your thinking.
Distract yourself.
When we are trapped in a problem, it is hard to think creatively about ways to deal with it. It often helps to take time out from the things you are worrying about.
| A．Always do something that is right. |
| B．It’s true that there are lots of things we can’t control. |
| C．An effective way of taking time out is exercise. |
| D．Next time you are feeling stressed or stuck, give them a try. |
| E．Focus on what’s right. |
| F．Next time something goes wrong for you, pause for a moment. |
| G．The way we think can destroy our own resilience. |
【推荐2】Most of us associate awe (敬畏) with something rare and beautiful: nature, music or a spiritual experience. But people can waken awe too, and not just public heroes. Research shows that we can be awed by our nearest and dearest — the people sitting next to us on the couch, chatting on the other end of the phone, looking back at us over Zoom.
Often, interpersonal awe is a response to life’s big, sweeping changes, such as witnessing a baby’s first steps.
Though we can’t make someone else behave in a way that’s awesome, we can prepare ourselves to notice it when they do and boost the emotion’s positive effects.
Question your assumptions. Do you believe your partner is insensitive or your sibling is selfish? There may be a little truth to that, but it’s never the whole tale.
Name awe when you see it. Speaking out “Wow, that was awesome!” is a simple way to help you identify and remember a special experience. Savor (品味) it in the moment and then tell others about it. This will reinforce your positive emotions.
| A．Thank the person who awed you. |
| B．And recall it or write about it later. |
| C．Psychologists call this interpersonal awe. |
| D．It’s easy to forget that it can be awesome too. |
| E．But interpersonal awe does happen in smaller moments. |
| F．Here’s why you should recognize those moments of interpersonal awe. |
| G．The story you tell yourself gets in the way of catching people at their best. |
【推荐3】When you sleep, can you ever realize that you are dreaming? If yes, then you are having a lucid dream.
Denholm Aspy from the University of Adelaide in Australia found that certain skills are key to helping people have lucid dreams.
First, People can train themselves to figure out whether they are dreaming or not. People can practice a trick for this in real life. For example, someone may look at a clock, look away, and then look back.
Another trick is to wake up after five hours of sleep.
Scientists found that those who used these tricks had a 17 percent success rate for having lucid dreams.
In a lucid dream, people might study a hobby and then become better at that hobby in real life, according to Aspy. For example, you might learn to play the piano in a lucid dream.
| A．Then, stay awake for a while. |
| B．The time should stay the same. |
| C．This was far higher than if they did nothing. |
| D．People learn new skills faster in a lucid dream. |
| E．Then, you might play the piano better in real life! |
| F．This is hard for most people to have a lucid dream. |
| G．Some people will need more time to fall asleep and have a dream. |
【推荐1】As birth order is clearly one of the many factors that affect personality development, we should pay much attention to it. Big brothers and sisters usually develop leadership early in life, giving orders to later children like their parents. The danger is that if the older child takes that role to an extreme (极端), he or she can become an overbearing adult.
Studies of nearly 300 people have found that firstborns are usually the most strongly motivated toward achievements. This is mainly the result of parental expectations. Research also suggests that firstborn children generally become more conservative (保守的) than other children because they receive most of the parental orders and rules. Used to caring for others, they are more likely to move toward such leadership professions as teaching and politics. Less social and flexible because they become used to acting alone in the very early years, they may have difficulty making close friends.
By contrast, the researchers say later children are more likely to be more relaxed and sociable than the eldest child because their parents are more relaxed. However, later children are often less ambitious (雄心壮志的) and may be uncomfortable making decisions for others, and will seek work that fits their needs. This may help explain why younger children prefer the creative fields such as music, art, and writing. Later children may make good sellers because persuasion may have been the only tool they had to deal with older children. Younger children tend to remain forever “the baby” enjoyable to be around, but at times too dependent on others.
1. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “overbearing” in the first paragraph?| A．trying to order others without considering their ideas or feelings |
| B．being unable to express their real feelings or to do what one really wants |
| C．preferring the established order of society to change |
| D．changing easily to adapt to new needs, conditions or ideas |
| A．A good librarian. | B．A good doctor. |
| C．A good writer. | D．A good teacher. |
| A．Because they feel uneasy when making decisions for other people. |
| B．Because they are very good at persuading others. |
| C．Because they have great ambition to develop leadership. |
| D．Because they are more relaxed and sociable. |
| A．Which Is Better: Being the Eldest or the Youngest? |
| B．Birth Order Factor in Marriage |
| C．The Relation between Birth Order and Job Success |
| D．Effects of Birth Order on One’s Personality |
【推荐2】If you have a chance to take a walk in a park, look carefully at the people walking their dogs. You’ll probably find friendly-looking people with friendly dogs; quiet people with quiet dogs; large men with oversized dogs and long-haired women with long-eared dogs. As you’ve probably noticed, dogs and their owners look alike. Have you ever wondered why?
These similarities are so common that researchers have tried to explain them. There are two theories (理论): the convergence (趋同) theory and the selection theory. The convergence theory says that as the owner and the dog spend more time together, they influence each other to the point where they grow similar. In other words, they “converge.” The selection theory, on the other hand, says that owners are interested in dogs that look like them, so they choose those dogs as pets.
Recently, researchers at the University of California decided to test the two theories by taking pictures of 45 dogs separately from their owners. Then they asked some students to match the dogs’ photos with their owners. The students were quite successful with purebred (纯种的) dogs: they correctly matched 16 out of 25 with their owners. However, they had almost no success connecting mixed-breed (杂交的) dogs with their owners. When owners select a purebred dog, they can easily predict (预测) what it will look like later. But that is not true with mixed-breed dogs because it’s hard to predict what a mixed-breed dog will look like when it grows up. And since it was the purebreds not the mixed-breeds that looked like their owners, the research seems to prove the “selection theory”.
But one bit of warning. Although many people look like their dogs, not all dog owners enjoy having the similarity pointed out to them. So, even if the similarity is amazing, don’t go up to a stranger and say, “Wow, you look just like your dog!”
1. According to the convergence theory, dogs look like their owners because ________.| A．their owners choose them |
| B．their owners love them |
| C．the dogs are purebred and grow up as expected |
| D．dogs and owners spend more time together |
| A．They influence each other. |
| B．They often do the same thing. |
| C．Owners pick dogs that look like them. |
| D．Dogs usually follow what their owners do. |
| A．show the importance of having a dog |
| B．introduce two theories about dogs and owners |
| C．prove the selection theory is correct |
| D．show the differences between dogs and owners |
| A．Mixed-breeds and their owners share similarities. |
| B．Most owners want their dogs to look like them. |
| C．Purebred dogs have predictable appearance. |
| D．Most owners prefer to have purebred dogs. |
To perfect a particular smell, perfume-makers often use an ingredient that comes from sperm whales, called ambergris (龙涎香). But using ambergris, which helps a perfume last longer, is strongly opposed by many people who think it is wrong to kill whales just so we can smell sweet. Joerg Bohlmann is neither a perfumer nor a whale expert. He's a plant biologist at the University of British Columbia in Canada. But his discovery of a new plant gene (基因) might push whales out of the perfume business.
The gene comes from fir trees, found throughout North America and commonly used as Christmas trees. The trees produce a chemical that can be used in perfume in place of ambergris-but with a catch "There's a problem that many people wouldn't consider. In the tree, the chemical is mixed with many others. That makes separation a challenge," Bohlmann says. "lt's like trying to isolate sugar from a biscuit. "
This is where science becomes useful. When Bohlmann learned that fir trees produce the ambergris-like chemical, he decided to use his gene know-how to find the instructions for how to make the ambergris-substitute.
Bohlmann found that gene and took it out of the tree cells. Then he did something that might sound strange to someone who doesn't work in genetics: Bohlmann put the gene from the tree into yeast (酵母) cells.
Yeast may sound familiar because it's used to make things like bread, wine and beer. Biologists like to work with yeast because it easily adopts new genes and changes its features and behaviour. When Bohlmann put the fir tree gene into the yeast, the yeast started making the same chemical that had been produced by the tree.
Perfumers pay big money for ambergris because it is a fixative, which means it holds a smell in place on a person's body.
"Cheap perfumes smell good in the first hour or so and then everything is gone," explains Bohlmann. "But expensive perfumes are much more stable. Their smell lasts much longer, for hours or even a day after you apply them. "
The new chemical, made from the tree genes, can be used as a fixative, too. And using yeast to make it is far cheaper than acquiring ambergris.
Bohlmann admits he never thought he'd get into the perfume business. But now, he says, producers have been calling to find out how to use his technology in new perfumes.
1. It can be inferred from the passage that if a perfume contains ambergris, .
| A．its user probably supports whale hunting |
| B．it is probably very expensive |
| C．its smell will last for about an hour |
| D．there will be a whale symbol on the bottle |
| A．being difficult to hold |
| B．being too similar |
| C．having a hidden problem |
| D．needing further testing |
| A．They're much cheaper to use than ambergris. |
| B．They can reproduce much faster than other cells. |
| C．They share some of the qualities of plant genes. |
| D．They can take on the characteristics of other genes. |
| A．He is opposed to whale hunting. |
| B．He made his discovery during Christmas. |
| C．He has worked in the perfume industry for many years. |
| D．He has previously done genetic research. |
【推荐1】Sensory-based food education given to 3-5 year-old children in the kindergarten increases their willingness to choose vegetables and fruit, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland.
The researchers used the sensory-based food education method Sapere, which makes use of children’s natural way of relying on all of the five senses when learning new things. In the Sapere method, children are given an active role around food, and they are encouraged to share their sensory experiences. For example, kindergartens can introduce different vegetables and fruit to children in hands-on sessions, they can involve children in baking and cooking, and they can offer children opportunities for growing their own vegetables in the kindergarten backyard. Food-related themes can also be included in books and games.
“There are several different ways to do this. However, it always starts from sensory-based learning and child engagement. Doing and experiencing things together is also an important aspect,” says Kaisa Kähkönen, a researcher and nutritionist from the University of Eastern Finland.
The researchers compared children in different kindergarten groups. Some were offered sensory-based food education, while others weren’t. Children were offered a snack buffet containing different vegetables and fruit to choose from, and the researchers took photos of their plates to analyse their willingness to choose and eat these food items.
The findings show that sensory-based food education increased children’s willingness to choose vegetables and fruit, especially among children whose mothers have a lower educational background. On average, children of lower educated parents tend to eat less vegetables and fruit. This is how food education given in the kindergarten can help even out dietary gap between families.
“Another interesting finding is that the Sapere food education method also seems to improve the eating atmosphere in kindergarten groups. This encouraged children who were picky eaters to choose a more diverse selection on their plate,” Kähkönen explains.
Positive and personal food-related experiences gained in the kindergarten can help adjust dietary preferences in a direction that is beneficial for health. Dietary preferences learned in early childhood often stick with a person all the way to adolescence and adulthood.
1. What can we know about the Sapere method?| A．It improves kids’ five senses. |
| B．It enables kids to read more books. |
| C．It supplies various healthy food to kids. |
| D．It involves kids in active food-related activities. |
| A．The research purpose. | B．The research process. |
| C．The research findings. | D．The research evaluation. |
| A．Narrow. | B．Identify. |
| C．Analyze. | D．Examine. |
| A．Benefits of eating fruit and vegetables. |
| B．Differences in family dietary preferences. |
| C．Necessity for kids to form learning habits. |
| D．New method to promote kids’ healthy eating. |
【推荐2】Nir Eyal was part of a team of Stanford MBAs and also one of the brightest investors in Silicon Valley. He documented his experiences, reading and observations of hundreds of companies to know how mind manipulation(操纵) worked—how products change our actions, and create desires. The result of his research is the Hook Model.
A trigger is the actuator of behavior. Triggers come in two types: external and internal. Habit-forming products start by alerting users with external triggers like an email, a website link, or the app icon. For example, suppose Barbra, a young woman in Pennsylvania, happens to see a photo in her Facebook taken by a family member from a rural part of the state. It’s a lovely picture and since she is planning a trip there, the external trigger’s call-to-action intrigues her and she clicks. By cycling through successive hooks, users begin to form associations with internal triggers, which attach to existing behaviors and emotions.
The simple action takes Barbra to a website called Pinterest, a “pinboard-style photo sharing” site where she is dazzled by other fascinating objects related to what she is generally interested in—namely things to see on her upcoming trip.
Variable rewards are one of the most powerful tools companies implement to hook users. Research shows that levels of the dopamine(多巴胺) rise when the brain is expecting a reward. Wanting rewards creates a focused state, which suppresses the areas of the brain associated with judgment and reason while activating the parts associated with wanting and desire.
When Barbra lands on Pinterest, she’s spending more time hunting for the next wonderful thing. Before she knows it, she enjoys endlessly scrolling Pinterest, and she builds a desire to keep the things that delight her. By collecting items, she’ll be giving the site data about her preferences. Soon she will follow and make other investments, which serve to increase her ties to the site and prepare her for future loops through the hook.
1. What did Eyal’s research focus on?| A．His personal experiences. |
| B．His findings of Hook Model. |
| C．His observations of companies. |
| D．His researches on human brain. |
| A．The website has a unique style. |
| B．A photo in her Facebook attracts her. |
| C．External and internal triggers both work on her. |
| D．There is a lot of information about her upcoming trip. |
| A．How a reward works. |
| B．How the brain works. |
| C．Why the levels of dopamine rise. |
| D．What influences judgment and reason. |
| A．By suggesting on investments. |
| B．By offering appealing discounts. |
| C．By learning about her preferences. |
| D．By making workable plans for her future. |
【推荐3】In the ancient world, the practice of medicine was inescapably linked to supernatural belief and magic. That was until the Greeks made advances in the field and brilliant figures such as Hippocrates laid the foundations for our medicine today. Recognized as the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates realised what seems obvious to us today -- that the observation and noting of symptoms is primary. He travelled across Greece teaching medicine, encouraging the view that disease had physical, not super-natural, explanations.
Medical students still take the Hippocratic Oath, a formal promise made by new doctors that they will follow the standards set by their profession and try to preserve life, swearing to use their skills to heal and do no harm. One of Hippocrates' theories was of the 'four humours', a belief that disease was caused by an imbalance of the four liquids supposedly contained in the human body -- blood, phlegm, and black and yellow bile (a liquid produced by your organ which helps you to digest fat).
Blood-letting was a common response to illness and was used until only 150 years ago in the mistaken belief that it would restore the body's internal balance. But while the Greeks may have been wrong about the bleeding and the bile, they were still the first civilization to understand that diseases could be treated by using carefully observation and logical thought.
Aristotle, political theorist, philosopher and teacher, also studied the natural world from a scientific point of view. He was the first to classify organisms, and although his method may seem simple now, he divided them into two basic categories, as either plant or animal -- he was the first to do so. Aristotle valued experimentation are discovered that evaporation, the process of becoming a vapour, turned salt water into fresh water. He was also believer in the theory that all matter is composed of four elements -- fire, earth, water and air.
Hippocrates believed the four humours, related to the four liquids in the body, were each in line with organ, a season and with different moods. The four were based on the Greeks' idea of four base elements ( water, fire, earth). Although discredited now, the humours formed the basis of western medicine until the century. They were:
- Blood from the liver; associated with Spring; with courage and hope
- Phlegm from brain and lungs; Winter; calm and unemotional
- Yellow bile from gall bladder（胆囊）: Summer; anger and bad temper
- Black bile from spleen（脾脏）: Autumn; with blue and dark mood
1. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?| A．It was the Greeks that made advances in the field of practice of medicine in the ancient world. |
| B．The Hippocratic Oath is a formal promise made by new doctors to swear their responsibilities. |
| C．Hippocrates thought disease was caused by imbalance of the four liquids contained in the human body. |
| D．Hippocrates was the first to believe diseases could be treated by careful observation and logical thought. |
| A．the blood was polluted by viruses |
| B．the human body was not evenly balanced |
| C．the patient was in a bad humour |
| D．too much blood was bad for people |
| A．He studied many books from a scientific point of view. |
| B．He drew the conclusion according to the two basic categories. |
| C．He made the discovery based on conducting experiments himself. |
| D．He believed that all matter consists of four base elements. |
| A．He proved that there are four base elements in all matter in the world. |
| B．He showed the procedure of how the four bodily liquids affected moods. |
| C．He insisted that almost all diseases had supernatural explanations. |
| D．He recognized the importance of the observation and noting of symptoms. |
