Google experiment finds answer to snacking at work

Google employees recently conducted a secret experiment at the tech giant’s New York office to find out if the proximity of treats to a drink station had any effect on their colleagues’ snacking habits. They found that people were more likely to pick up a snack if it was close to where they made their drinks.

The “spies” set up their laptops in a common room next to a small kitchen used by staff. The kitchen was arranged with a snack bar containing M&Ms, nuts and other treats six feet from one beverage station and another drinks area 18 feet away. The team of scientists wanted to know whether the proximity of snacks to drinks had an effect on employees’ snacking behaviour.

After witnessing more than 1000 beverage choices, they noticed that people who got drinks at the closest station to the snacks were 69% more likely to pick up a treat while they were there than those who used the station further away. They ruled out a person’s choice being affected by proximity to their desk because they watched some people walk past one station in favour of the other.

Interestingly, men were more affected by the experiment than women, with men being twice as likely to pick up a snack if they used the nearer beverage station and women only 25% more likely. The researchers calculated that this means a man weighing just under 13 stone could end up eating an extra 81 snacks a year, possibly gaining at least a kilogram.

While the findings aren’t definitive proof, it certainly provides food for thought when it comes to the placement of snacks in office kitchens.

Read the original article by Business Insider at read.bi/29fuxUG