Chewing Apparently Makes You Immune To Advertising

Turns out that buying a bag of popcorn might save you from buying other unnecessary gadgets, or seeing another terrible movie.

New research from University of Cologne published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology found that the act of chewing might counteract any effect advertising has on our brains.

The researchers brought together 96 people to watch a movie with advertisements playing beforehand, the Guardian reports. Half of the subjects were given free popcorn, while the other half was given a small sugar cube. Following the screening, viewers who ate the popcorn didn't have any response to the brands advertised beforehand. Meanwhile, the subjects who ate a sugar cube had positive reactions to the brands.

"This finding suggests that selling candy in cinemas actually undermines advertising effects, which contradicts present marketing strategies. In the future, when promoting a novel brand, advertising clients might consider trying to prevent candy being sold before the main movie," researcher Sascha Topolinski said.

Turns out, every time humans encounter a name, the Guardian reports, "our lips and the tongue automatically simulate the pronunciation of a new name." This "inner speech" then records the name for our memory, which creates a positive response to the brands. Chewing, however, disrupts the process. So spending an extra $5 on popcorn? Could save you $10 later.