The logos of fast food restaurants – such as McDonalds or KFC – are etched with more intensity in areas of the children's brain linked to motivation than other brands, according to a study carried out with the help of images obtained through magnetic resonance imaging that was just published by the magazine Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience . " Logos related to fast food increase activity in the posterior cingulate cortex much more than any other brand," conclude the authors, led by Amanda Bruce, from the University of Missouri-Kansas (USA). This region of the brain is associated with pleasure, motivation and self-control, as well as participating in visual-spatial processing.
To this is added that in the experiment the scientists observed when they saw the food marks the faces of the children lit up and their tone of voice changed. The findings reveal that children are more vulnerable to certain marketing actions, especially in food and beverage brands that are linked to well-being and happiness, and that this brain activation from an early age prevents them from making healthy choices regarding food when kids reach adolescence, and even as adults.
