The title of this post is the same as scholarly paper by Ali Tezer and Kamila Sobol. I love the honesty of it – who hasn’t had a similar experience? Having a bad day can result in justifying behavior that’s…less than optimal. And companies use this insight to influence your decisions when you’re at your weakest.
Neuromarketing Principle: When given the choice between a goal-aligned choice or succumbing to an indulgent treat or purchase, a consumer will justify the indulgence by overstating their life problems, essentially validating their indulgent choice as being deserving of it (1).
Application: By subtly implying a customer deserves your product or service, a customer may more likely justify the purchase and deviate from goal-aligned choices to satisfy the indulgence (1).
Did you grow up hearing, “You deserve a break today” like I did? Advertising Age named this phrase from McDonald’s commercial the slogan of the century, and it still rings in my ears some 50 years later (2).
Yes, I deserve all the treats, whether they are desserts, the latest electronics, or pretty new clothes! But how does this align with my long term goals? Do we want to be influenced by marketing ploys designed to increase corporate bottom lines and our waistlines?
The video above is one of the many versions of “You deserve a break today,” which shows the boring dinner options busy women could prepare for their families. The husbands heroically whisk the families away to McDonald’s – exciting! Nothing here is realistic, but the message that you deserve to eat out at McDonald’s is strong. McDonald’s made versions for different markets, including entertaining characters and settings from America to Australia. McDonald’s made it easy for a whole generation to justify eating junk food.
I recently saw a Facebook post where the author was asking for justification ideas from readers. Many people made suggestions about why it was fine to have a cheat day. In fact my bariatrician at the Mayo Clinic suggested a weekly cheat day (since I was to begin maintenance). This may work for some, but for me, it’s the beginning of the end. I have succumbed to this slippery slope many times in the past. (See my post on The School of Hard Diets for more!)
Yes, I have “cheat” meals on major holidays and the birthdays of immediate family members, but that’s all I can manage. How do you feel about this? Do you have cheat days on a regular basis but remain able to hop right back on your eating plan? How do you justify cheating – or do you at all?
In a study published in Psychology & Health, researchers found that experiment participants who were supplied with justification cues consumed more calories than participants who were not given such suggestions. In three different scenarios, participants who engaged in justification (also called self-licensing) ate more unhealthy snacks. “The observed increase in consumption resulting from self-licensing processes ranged from 54 to 130 kcal” (3). Keep in mind that this increase was for just one snack. The calories would add up quickly if this behavior was repeated on a daily basis!
But there are times when it really does seem important to have that special treat. When you indulge, do you tell yourself that you’ll make up for it later by increased exercise or by cutting back on other foods? If so, how about turning that around and exercising or cutting back in advance? Yes, this would involve some planning. It’s a little like using a debit card instead of a credit card. Save up those extra calories before your special event and then use them for that treat you’ve been anticipating.
Yes, this is all easier said than done. There will always be exceptions and sometimes we truly are deserving of a little extra comfort in our lives. But let’s not give in to junk food justifications too often. Instead, let’s be proactive and maintain our healthy weight!
(3). https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08870446.2018.1508683
Maintain Weight Loss 