Studies show that advertisements showing people eating junk food can actually prompt those on a diet to eat less. The research found that the mere sight of someone eating junk food is enough to put dieters off it. This is because mental imagery, including that of food consumption, can activate similar neural networks to those linked with actual performance or experience. The findings suggest that healthy eating campaigns should include and portray the consumption of unhealthy food, as dieters consciously associate it with a failure to reach their weight loss goals.
