New research says that people who live in neighborhoods brimming with fast food restaurants tend to enjoy life less.
Surprisingly, it's not the smells, the crowds, or even the ease of habitually acquiring a super-sized fries -- and the calories and pounds that come with them - that diminish one's ability to savor experiences.
According to the study, it's the signs, symbols, and logos themselves that alter people's states of mind.
Described by one of the scientists as being, "the ultimate symbols of an impatience culture," the mere sight of them can make it difficult to fully appreciate life's pleasures.
The study was carried out in 3 phases. In the first, 280 individual who lived in varying environments of fast food density were interviewed.
Those in the most packed zones had more shallow emotional responses to happy events.
In the 2nd and 3rd, participants were shown pictures of a meal in fast food wrappers while some others saw the same selections on plain dishes.
Afterwards, those who got a glimpse of the branded packaging derived less pleasure from subsequent exposure to both images of stunning nature scenes and musical recordings.
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