ciphergoth comments on Why Our Kind Can't Cooperate - Less Wrong

132 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 20 March 2009 08:37AM

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Comment author: CarlShulman 21 March 2009 06:21:52AM 4 points [-]

You can keep small stocks of an item, and it can have positive effects beyond direct revenues, e.g. if families with one dieting or vegetarian member don't avoid McDonald's because that person can eat a salad.

Comment author: ciphergoth 21 March 2009 08:06:21AM 5 points [-]

I think the positive effect is that they can say that they sell salads, people can convince themselves they intend to buy the salad, and so on.

Comment author: homunq 08 May 2009 09:59:25PM 3 points [-]

I saw a study recently that said that the mere presence of a salad on the menu increases people's consumption. I deeply doubt that fast food chains were surprised by that result.

From the nature of the study, it's not even about convincing themselves they intend to buy a salad. By merely seriously having considered the option, they give themselves virtue points which offset the vice of more consumption.

Comment author: Matt_Simpson 21 March 2009 08:09:56AM 1 point [-]

I think the positive effect...

Or rather, another positive effect. These explanations aren't mutually exclusive.

That being said, nice insight.