Movie calories

We seek ways to differentiate ourselves from each other. Things like astrology and religion are wonderful avenues for delineation of our differences, just think how often you hear the phrase, “typical Pisces” or “I’d expect that of a Libran”. Then there are the more mundane points of separation, for instance how often have you heard (or participated in) a conversation along the lines of, “Really? I can’t enjoy chardonnay it has to be a full bodied cabernet for me” or perhaps “Crime novels? Oh no, I can’t read crime novels, I like historical fiction. I suppose I need to feel as though I’m learning when I read.” These are the demarcations we make every day that define us in subtle ways to ourselves and others. Perhaps one of the greatest ways in which we seek to identify who we are is in our choice of movies. Can a Clint Eastwood fan ever really find rapprochement with fans of Juliette Binoche? Will Steven Speilberg afficianados be able to reach common ground with Wim Wenders devotees? These are imponderables beyond answer but a new study has found one certainty, that your choice of movie can affect your eating patterns.

The study involved researchers firstly observing how much popcorn people ate while watching a sad movie in the laboratory (Love Story) compared to when they watched a comedy (Sweet Home Alabama). They found that on average when watching the sad movie people consumed 125 grams of popcorn versus an average 98 grams consumed when watching the comedy.

These results were confirmed with startling similarity when the researchers dug around in bins outside movie theatres to investigate how much popcorn was thrown away by movie-goers watching a sad movie (Solaris) compared to the comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding. By calculating how much movie watchers had thrown away compared to what they had purchased they could calculate how much they had eaten and so have a real world estimate of eating in different types of movies. The results showed a remarkably similar result to the laboratory with 127 grams consumed in the sad movie compared to 82 grams in the comedy.

So sad movies result in around 25-30 per cent more calories being consumed. The good news is that although these studies were based on popcorn the researchers found that people would eat more of whatever was put in front of them, not just junk food. In essence then , you could theoretically use watching a “weepy” as a way to kick start your healthy eating plan. Who would have thought that The English Patient could serve a purpose other than to make parliament seem exciting?