Why a looming storm makes us think we can eat all the junk food we want

The Washington Post:

Milk, bread, eggs, ice-melt: These are the necessities we run out and buy when the forecast calls for a couple of inches of snow. These, we know, are the staples that will get us through any kind of inclement weather.

But when a blizzard threatens to bury us in two feet of powder and make us prisoners in our own luxury studio apartments with only Netflix for company for Godknowshowlong?

…

Consumer behavior experts have theories about why we respond to an impending weather disturbance by filling our carts with dark chocolate gelato and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Storm preparedness — wrapping up everything at the office, getting into your minivan and making a run to the nearest grocery store for batteries — is so psychologically exhausting, that once you’re at the store, anything goes (into your cart).

“Basically, your ability to resist temptations is reduced,” says Ravi Dhar, director of the Center for Customer Insights and professor of psychology at Yale University. “Mental stress can have an effect on the type of food you choose.”

Read the whole story: The Washington Post