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News: Can buying organic food make people mean?
News: Can buying organic food make people mean?

It might make people healthier, but a new study shows buying organic food also makes people less likely to help needy strangers and more likely to judge unethical behavior harshly.

Why?

According to the study in Social Psychological and Personality Science, as reported by MSNBC, exposure to organic foods leads a person to affirm their moral identity, which weakens their desire to be selfless.

"There's a line of research showing that when people can pat themselves on the back for their moral behavior, they can become self-righteous," says author Kendall Eskine, assistant professor of the department of psychological sciences at Loyola University in New Orleans.

Confession: This study has me a little concerned.

I usually try to buy organic, at least when it makes sense. And though I don’t think it makes me feel morally superior, I also can’t remember the last time I volunteered.

That being said, I never think to myself, “I just bought an organic apple, I’m sooo not going to help that old woman/injured puppy/child.”

But according to the study, if I did see someone in need, I’d probably just ignore it while happily munching on my organic fruit and simultaneously judging others for standing idly by.

"People may feel like they've done their good deed," says Eskine. "That they have permission, or license, to act unethically later on. It's like when you go to the gym and run a few miles and you feel good about yourself, so you eat a candy bar."

Now that, I know I’ve done. So who’s to say I haven’t also acted immorally after an organic shopping spree?

What do you think? Do you feel like you’ve done your good deed for the day after buying organic food? Do you think people who buy organic food are meaner than those who don’t?

-Katharine Watts, Associate Web Editor

Related:
Does organic mean healthier?
5 foods worth buying organic
5 ways to go organic on a budget

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LMAO are you kidding me...Please, I did a study to and concluded this study is stupid, and makes no sense, I am not sure which to believe

LMAO are you kidding me...Please, I did a study to and concluded this study is stupid, and makes no sense, I am not sure which to believe

Just very simple... add few more gym classes, why would we give goverment the money when the kids should be doing their part, they're the ones that need it.

government taxed cigarettes - in the hope less people would be able to afford them and therefore stop people from smoking - didnt work.
government taxed alcohol - again in the hope people would drink less - didnt work.
government taxed gasoline - what to make people walk more or take public transit - dont believe that happened.
general food costs have gone up ridiculously already -junk, fresh fruit or veggies, water, dairy, meats, breads - did people stop eating?
This is just another government sponsored survey to take more of people's hard earned money under the disguise of helping a select few rather than giving them the medical care to help them return to a more healthier weight.
PS - I have had a vegetarian diet since day 1 - I am considered to be obese - is it because i eat too many fruits and veggies?

I think most of this article is full of what makes the organic food grow so green....it also makes the grass grow green in Texas. B,S,!

I do agree that most psychopaths justify their destructive actions after-the-fact, based on how they convince/delude themselves into over-valuing sometimes very minor positive actions (which they create and then dwell on). This relieves their subconscious guilt and allows them to behave negatively again which is their real passion. They camouflage their abhorrent actions by directing conversations or pointing out how "good" they are...hoping people are unaware of who they really are and stroke their egos...and so it works.
A Catholic confessional box is is the favorite hang-out to many.

This is an unbelievable article.To what lengths will MSN go to ensure that organic healthy food has a bad reputation?
Freedom of speech eh ..
God bless Canada!

I buy as much organic foods as I can, mainly because buying locally helps our
environment by eliminating the damage to the atmosphere by shipping goods by truck and cuts down on the HST that is charged every time it changes hands, which is an added benefit to me. With pollution also contaminating our ground through rain and other contaminates, no food is chemically pure so we just have to deal with that the best way we can.

i was one of those culprits of eating fast goods and finely came to my senses
because of my weight. but i noticed when i was going to fast foods that adults
are the cullprits of FAT kids. they bring their kids to fast foods too young (i saw
them under 2 and the parents feeding them fries) of course kids want the
fatty fries they taste good but they are supposed to be a treat. also the teens
were coming in for their lunch. i think they should add a fat tax on the fatty foods
and add healthy foods at a cheaper price than the fatty ones.

Then pure vegetarians and vegans should be feeling all the more so, but they are no less caring and willing to volunteer, if not more!

You have cause and effect backwards.

Wow! What a ignorant article. Seriously, people that buy organic are mean? Ok, so can I write a article that people who buy processed foods are stupid? While some are, the majority I believe are misinformed and haven't been given the right tools to make a better choice. As someone who has been in the health industry for 9 years and has studied agriculture for a year, I do buy some foods organic. Apples, Bananas, and vegetables that are not BC hothouse. While some are just a way to market and get a bigger price, some aren't. If you do your research you will learn which ones are better and which are not. Biggest flag is companies who have organic and non organic choices, rather than a company that is only organic. Sprays travel and a company who is doing both, there won't be that big of a difference for the markup.

I have chosen to be in the industry I am in to help educate people and get them on track to a better quality of life. I don't make a ton of money but it's worth it to me. So I would think this article is more prejudice than truth.

There are also many people who don't train to cheat but train to live.

I never buy organic food. Organic food does not mean healthier. I also refuse to by any product that is stamped "green" or "eco-friendly", because this is a marketing hype. By the way, I help people when I see that they are in need, and I do this not because of the type of food I buy.

I'm not so sure this is true. I volunteered for a 17 years too. Does that also make me mean? And people who buy organic are also stewards of the earth by supporting good farming practices and local farmers. BTW there *ARE* 7 BILLION people in the world too, so maybe organic buyers are simply more choosy where they select to be helpful. Maybe you just don;t see them being kind.

that's retarded

 
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