There’s a popular saying in cycling that you ride in order to ‘earn’ the cake we all enjoy. Many a weekend ride will involve a stop at a cafe for a slice of something sweat with a cup of tea/coffee. Such thinking is known as the licensing effect, and new research reveals that this is more prevalent than we may think.

Wen-Bin Chiou and team gave an inert pill to participants in the study. Half were informed that the pill was a mere placebo, whilst the other half were told it was a vitamin pill. They were told to consume their usual amount of supplements for the duration of the study. So if they normally take one vitamin tablet per day, they would.

Interestingly, those that had (or at least thought they had) taken the vitamin tablet rated indulgent behaviours such as excessive drinking as more desirable than those who had consumed the placebo, with a knock on that they found healthy activities like exercise as less desirable. Likewise, when given the choice between a free healthy meal or a free buffet meal, they chose the unhealthy option.

The researchers believe this may explain why the general health of the population struggles to improve, despite a huge increase in the number of dietary supplements we consume.

“People who rely on dietary supplements for health protection may pay a hidden price: the curse of licensed self-indulgence,” the researchers said. “Policy interventions that remind individuals to monitor the licensing effect may help translate the increased use of dietary supplements into improved public health.”