We've All Been Deceived By Advertisements, But Here's How To Take Back Control Of Your Health And Your Wallet
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

We've All Been Deceived By Advertisements, But Here's How To Take Back Control Of Your Health And Your Wallet

Deception is all around us.

54
We've All Been Deceived By Advertisements, But Here's How To Take Back Control Of Your Health And Your Wallet
Photo by Florian Wehde on Unsplash

Everyday, thousands of ads stream on television and across social media.

A lot of the time, advertisements are statistics or standards about the health or merit of a product. However, you must take into account that these advertisements are using simulations and being paid big bucks. Their first priority is not the truth. Rather, they relay false information in efforts to increase sales.

We may not notice it, but advertisements provoke unhealthy habits.

Think of how many fast food commercials you have seen over your lifetime. Consider how many McDonald's commercials you have seen showcasing their kids meals with a "limited edition" toy. Each of these advertisements have been done in hopes of gaining your money as a valued customer. In the article "How Advertising Confuses Kids about Nutrition, Health," Chandra Johnson emphasizes the success that advertisements have on impacting our health. A study found that "advertising focuses on sensory connections to food," which can create "and normalize what's called "hedonic hunger" or a person's urge to eat or overeat when their body doesn't need more food."

This means fast food companies can induce hunger just through one ad. Using the sound of a pop can opening or enticing words such as "juicy" or "mouth-watering," they can create hedonic hunger in their viewers. Bingo! They've got your business and your money.

Big corporations spend a lot of money on advertisements.

These people focus on targeting your senses with words to trigger hunger or thirst. They make you hungry or thirsty for their product to ensure that the advertisement was worth the cost. They also normalize unhealthy eating patterns like "a midnight snack" or "pizza for dinner every night," even though these things are not normal or good for your health. Unhealthy habits lead to unhealthy lifestyles, which in turn big corporations make profit off of your eating habits.

Another money-driven advertisement lies in the well-known "Got Milk?" campaign.

From the school hallways to the doctor's office, the campaign was everywhere urging us to consume more milk. The iconic ad is known for using famous celebrities and athletes with milk mustaches alongside text outlining the benefits of milk. However, we failed to notice just why these famous people were being used to promote milk.

In the article "Too Much Milk?," Chris Woolston reveals why Connie Weaver, head of food and nutrition at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., suggests drinking 3 glasses of milk a day. He says, "Most of Weaver's funding comes from the National Institutes of Health, but she's also supported by the National Dairy Council."

Funding issues almost always get in the way of telling the truth.

This does not stop at government programs either. As someone who is supposed to be giving honest advice, Weaver fails to deliver truthful suggestions because of funding from the National Dairy Council. The National Dairy Council could be funding a lot of different programs in order to promote milk. There's certainly plenty of people who are paid to tell us it's safe to consume certain products when in reality it's not.

The world is full of misconceptions.

It is unsettling how much deception occurs daily and all around us, whether that be in our food, products, and social media. We live in a society focused on mass production and consumption. As consumers in this type of society, we must be conscious and actively aware of what we are buying. You must be smarter than the salesman, whether that's on your television or on the screen in your hands. After all, money does make the world go 'round.




From Your Site Articles
Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
beer on the beach

Summer is hot and humid, and it's almost like summer was made specifically to drink the refreshing, cold, crisp wonderful, delicious, nutritious nectar of the gods. Which is none other than beer; wonderful cold beer. With summer playing peek-a-boo around the corner while we finish up this semester, it's time to discuss the only important part of summer. And if you haven't already guessed, it's beer. There are few things I take more seriously than my beer, in order are: sports... and beer. Here are my favorite summer brews:

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

7 Reasons SoCal Rocks!

75 degrees and sunny, plus, no humidity. I mean do I really need to say more?

1034
woman in black and white long sleeve shirt carrying girl in red jacket in Venice beach
Photo by Jeff Hopper on Unsplash

SoCal summers are the best summers by far, and honestly, no argument is needed. But, if you aren't sure why SoCal summers are the best, here are 7 reasons why!

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

25 Lyrics for Selfie Captions

Because let's be honest, we all use lyrics.

53535
woman takes a selfie for social media
Pixabay

Sometimes you can't think of the perfect caption for your Instagram post. I love using lyrics as my captions because there's so many great lines in songs that just seem to fit in the moment. Here are some lyrics that could work for your selfie or pictures of you with your friends!

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Bruce Springsteen's Top 7 Lyrics

Everything Bruce says in his classic rock songs.

19989
bruce springsteen album cover born in the usa

Anyone who was born and raised in New Jersey (or anywhere really) knows of Bruce Springsteen, whether or not they like him is a whole other situation. I hope that his hundreds of classic rock songs and famous high energy performances, even in his sixties he can put on better concerts than people half his age, are at least recognizable to people of all ages. Love him or hate him (I identify with the former) you have to admit that some of his songs and interviews have inspirational quotes and lyrics.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

New England Summers Are The BEST Summers

Why you should spend your next summer in New England.

3561
Marconi Beach

Three years ago, I chose to attend college in Philadelphia, approximately 360 miles away from my small town in New Hampshire. I have learned many valuable lessons away from home, and have thoroughly enjoyed my time spent in Pennsylvania. One thing that my experience has taught me, however, is that it is absolutely impossible to beat a New England summer.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments