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Turkey and Stuffing—or Turkey and Shopping
Thanksgiving Thursday then Black Friday. Stuffing then shopping. For many, Thanksgiving is a time of competing interests and divided loyalties. Thanksgiving is traditionally a holiday to celebrate family, friends, and all of the blessings for which we are thankful. Over the years, however, it has become less about family and more about shopping. Black Friday is arguably the biggest shopping day of the year. And it is seductively marketed each year because sadly, people are easy to manipulate.
In some places, Black Friday becomes black and blue Friday as people are trampled in store openings around the country, chasing deep discounts—giving literal meaning to the term Doorbusters.
For some people attempting to avoid the stampede by shopping online, Black Friday can become Hack Friday as Internet thieves troll the airwaves, snatching credit card numbers from unsecured web sites (warming up for Cyber Monday).
As advertisers that profit from shoppers-gone-wild are aware, the easiest way to entice customers is to appeal to the desire for instant gratification. Many stores are now tempting consumers to buy their merchandise Thanksgiving night to avoid the lines. For shoppers so inclined, holdiday evening store openings result in compulsive shoppers who are able to make it through the main course to be immediately faced with the choice of dessert or deals.
Given the nearly inextricable link between stuffing and spending, an interesting issue presented is the question of how traditional Thanksgiving fare impacts impulsivity. Can a turkey and carbo-rich meal result in more judicious spending behavior? Happily (and thankfully), research says yes.
Turkey, Stuffing, and Smart Spending
Researchers Arul Mishra and Himanshu Mishra, in a study aptly entitled “We are what we consume,” (2010) found Thanksgiving holiday to be the perfect time to study impulsive consumer behavior.[i] Not only does Thanksgiving dinner traditionally involve the consumption of tryptophan rich foods such as turkey and mashed potatoes, it also precedes one of the biggest shopping days of the year, Black Friday.
Mishra and Mishra began by acknowledging research finding that foods that increase levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin can reduce impulsive choice. Tryptophan, famous for being found in turkey, is a precursor to serotonin.
Although they recognize that turkey is a good source of tryptophan, they also note that serotonin levels are enhanced through the combination of tryptophan with carbohydrate-rich foods. They explain on a chemical level, “Tryptophan, the amino acid that synthesizes serotonin, must compete with other amino acids for release into the bloodstream and, from there, to the brain. Carbohydrates have the capacity to enhance the relative concentration of tryptophan by lowering the concentration of other amino acids.”
On a practical level, they wanted to see whether consuming turkey-carb rich combo meals contributed to pursuing shopping deals. They took advantage of Black Friday sales, which provided an ideal context in which to question study participants about their willingness to purchase products at a discount.
Thanksgiving Fare: Poultry or Pizza?
Among other testing conditions, Mishra and Mishra separated people who ate traditional Thanksgiving fare with those who ate non-traditional fare, such as pizza, pasta, burritos, or noodles. They also only used study participants who had not consumed alcohol—because of alcohol´s effect on decision-making.
Focusing on food choice, impulsive choice and responding, they demonstrated that increased levels of serotonin decreased impulsive behavior. Specifically, the authors found that serotonin “has the ability to reduce impulsive consumer choice and impulsive responding.”
Mishra and Mishra note that an awareness of the link between serotonin and the reduction of impulsive product choice and response may allow people to modify their behavior, much in the same way that research showing people that they are prone to buying more when they are hungry than full facilitates behavioral change.
Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving
Apparently, sitting at the Thanksgiving dinner table with your family instead of standing in line at the mall is a much better use of your time. As an added benefit, focusing your attention on food and family demonstrates thanksgiving and gratitude for those who no doubt spent all day preparing your meal. And enjoying dessert is better than chasing deals. Lingering at the table afterwards to enjoy good conversation is more satisfying in the long run than heading out the door to stand in line.
Assuming traditional Thanksgiving fare is on the menu, quality time at the table can result in increased familial bonding combined with decreased buying. So enjoy turkey and stuffing, as well as the resulting increased restraint and sensibility. Happy Thanksgiving.
Reference
[i]Arul Mishra and Himanshu Mishra, “We are what we consume: The influence of food consumption on impulsive choice,” Journal of Marketing Research. 2010; 47(6): 1129-1137.
