I came across an interesting term "contrafreeloading" in Dan Ariely's "The Upside of Irrationality."
Explanation from birdchannel.com
Contrafreeloading: (verb) The behavior in which animals offered the choice between eating food provided to them for free or working to get that food would eat the most food from the source that required effort. This term was created in 1963 by animal psychologist Glen Jensen. Jensen ran a study on 200 male albino rats where the end result was the rats ate more from the food source where the rats had to press on a bar to get the pellet rather than the dish of pellets where they didn’t have to do anything at all. Jensen then studied the behaviors of gerbils, mice, birds, fish, monkeys and chimpanzees. In fact many have studied contrafreeloading since then with similar results, except for the domestic cat – which likes to be served. This 1963 study’s results were surprising because it would be more logical, from an evolutionary point of view, to not expand energy to get food when food is freely available.
I started wondering if there is a connection. How about humans? Do we exhibit contrafreeloading too? I doubt adults do, at least when it comes to food. But perhaps kids do? Should try some experiments at home!
Explanation from birdchannel.com
Contrafreeloading: (verb) The behavior in which animals offered the choice between eating food provided to them for free or working to get that food would eat the most food from the source that required effort. This term was created in 1963 by animal psychologist Glen Jensen. Jensen ran a study on 200 male albino rats where the end result was the rats ate more from the food source where the rats had to press on a bar to get the pellet rather than the dish of pellets where they didn’t have to do anything at all. Jensen then studied the behaviors of gerbils, mice, birds, fish, monkeys and chimpanzees. In fact many have studied contrafreeloading since then with similar results, except for the domestic cat – which likes to be served. This 1963 study’s results were surprising because it would be more logical, from an evolutionary point of view, to not expand energy to get food when food is freely available.
Interestingly, I read about this on the same day our 1 year old decided she'd run around and around her high chair, instead of sitting on it, while taking one spoon of her dinner per round. We found it funny, and also satisfying since she ate more.
I started wondering if there is a connection. How about humans? Do we exhibit contrafreeloading too? I doubt adults do, at least when it comes to food. But perhaps kids do? Should try some experiments at home!
I am currently listening to "The Upside of Irrationality" on Audiobooks on my daily commute to work. I have become a fan of Ariely's work since reading "Predictably Irrational" The concept of contrafreeloading also struck me as interesting, and I wondered about the rat experiment - was it the 'work' that the rat preferred, or the ability to control the food source? The free pile of food was the rat's choice to eat or not to eat. In times of scarcity, it would be good to have a pile in store. But, if the rat had the ability to PRODUCE, then eating what it had the power to produce makes more survival sense than eating a 'windfall' store of food that would be gone for good when it was gone.
ReplyDeleteKids also 'use' (consciously or unconsciously) food to assert their own control over their environment and actions. The refusal to eat sometime is a control they can exert; though a negative control. Making a game of eating is much more enjoyable and creative.
I only mean to present an alternate perspective.
Sure, thanks for the perspective. As the father of an older kid as well, I have learnt first hand our craving for control and freedom of choice.
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