A new American study suggests that shoppers that choose organic are less likely to show kindness to others. The study, which was reported with relish by The Daily Mail concluded that this is because using organic products makes people feel more secure about themselves, weakening the urge to act unselfishly.
The study, at Loyola University in New Orleans, used 62 students in three groups. One was given pictures of organic produce, another images of ice cream, cookies, chocolate and brownies, and a control group pictures of porridge, rice, mustard and beans.
They were then all asked their views on six ‘moral transgressions’ ranging from a politician taking bribes to a student stealing books from a library.
When they thought the study had finished, the students were told that a professor in another department was looking for volunteers willing to spare 30 minutes without any reward.
The students who were exposed to organic fruit and vegetables agreed to spare an average 13 minutes to help the professor.
However, the students who saw the comfort food were happy to set aside 25 minutes compared with 20 minutes from those in the third group, which looked at oatmeal and rice.
