Logos ‘brand’ youthful minds

FACT: A generation of young people is growing up with the logos of fast-food companies “branded” on their brains. What? Yes….peoples!! Scientists say scans of children show the pleasure and appetite centres of their brains light up when they are shown advertising images such as the McDonald’s logo according to a new research called The Pediatric FMRI Logo Study (Publication). The logos of fast-food giants as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Burger King, KFC and 60 logos from popular non-food brands like BMW, Nike and FedEx where used in the study. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Kansas Medical Center. The children were aged between 10 and 14. Then, using a functional MRI scanner, which measures blood flow to different areas in the brain, they watched the brains of these children react to the different logos. When showed images of fast food companies, the parts of the brain that control pleasure and appetite actually lit up. The brains did not do the same when showed images from companies not associated with food. The brain’s reaction may not seem like a big deal. After all, when someone mentions food, a common bodily response is to feel hungry. But researchers also found that children were more likely to choose the food branded with the logo with which they were familiar. When asked to taste a hamburger from a box with no label, and a hamburger from a box labeled McDonald’s, the children overwhelmingly preferred the McDonald’s burger of course. Dr. Amanda Bruce from the B.R.A.I.N. Lab said the following:“The theory is the increase in risk-taking behavior in adolescence is attributed to uneven development in brain regions associated with cognitive control and emotional drive.” “The brains of children are ‘imprinted’ with food logos. Without the necessary inhibitory processes to aid in decision-making, youth are particularly susceptible to making poor choices about what to eat.” Tommy Zee responded to this article:  “One of the most disappointing things about humanity is we put profit before people. To the hamster-wheel running executive – there is nothing more important than bigger profits. They talk about “Well – people should be responsible for their children”. Sure. That’s like planting land mines in the street and saying – you should be careful where you step….don’t blame me if things blow up. Obviously, it would not serve the interest of the Burger King corporation if parents really took responsibility for their children’s viewing and eating habits. They love the fact that people sit in front of the TV – and get their passive brains programmed to sleepwalk into fast food joints and inhale this crap like an automaton.”