Snackwell effect
Snackwell effect is a phenomenon that states that dieters will eat more low-calorie cookies, such as SnackWells, than they otherwise would for normal cookies.[1][2] It is also described as a term for the way people go overboard once they are given a free pass[3] or the tendency to over-consume like in the case of people eating more of low-fat food due to the belief that it is not fattening.[4]
The term, which emerged as a reaction to dietary trends in the 1980s and 1990s[5], is also used for similar effects in other settings, such as energy consumption, where it is termed the "rebound effect". For example, according to a 2008 study, people with energy-efficient washing machines wash more clothes.[6][7] People with energy-efficient lights leave them on longer, and lose 5–12% of the expected energy savings of 80%.[8]
In popular culture
In the Seinfeld episode "The Postponement," Rabbi Glickman goes into a brief diatribe about the Snackwell effect in an off topic discussion with Elaine.
See also
- Induced demand
- Jevons Paradox
- Parkinson's Law
- Risk compensation
References
- "One reason I've suggested is what called the SnackWell's Phenomenon: By giving a free pass to good nutrients, people go there and eat a lot more food. If one SnackWell's is okay because it's low-fat, a whole box is probably better." -- Food writer Michael Pollan in his Otis Lecture at Bates College, Oct. 27, 2008.
- http://news.consumerreports.org/home/2009/04/snackwell-effect-energy-use-consumer-reports-appliance-reviews-aceee-shelton-group-xeros-washing-mac.html
- Harris, Dena (2015). The Paleo Vegetarian Diet: A Guide For Weight Loss And Healthy Living. Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press. p. 18. ISBN 9781612434629.
- Small, Ernest (2009). Top 100 Food Plants. Ottawa: NRC Research Press. pp. 174. ISBN 9780660198583.
- Jacobson, Michael F. (2017-03-06). "Burying the Snackwell Myth". Medium. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- Lucas W. Davis: 'Durable Goods and Residential Demand for Energy and Water: Evidence from a Field Trial'. The RAND Journal of Economics Vol. 39, No. 2 (Summer 2008), pp. 530-546. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25474381
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-03-26. Retrieved 2010-02-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- https://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2009-03-22-energysavings_N.htm