--- title: This Is Why You're a Total Sucker for Sweets description: New research suggest that when people unconsciously smell a sweet-fatty odor, they're more apt to choose to eat a high-calorie dessert canonical: https://time.com/3974850/sweet-fatty-food-cravings/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-28T18:59:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:23.606Z article:section: Health og:title: This Is Why You're a Total Sucker for Sweets og:description: New research suggest that when people unconsciously smell a sweet-fatty odor, they're more apt to choose to eat a high-calorie dessert og:url: https://time.com/3974850/sweet-fatty-food-cravings/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2026eaf006e45cc/69885ccd5f570f4f60b1ca5c/pain-au-chocolat.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5017 og:image:height: 2822 og:image:alt: 110056942 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Is Why You're a Total Sucker for Sweets twitter:description: New research suggest that when people unconsciously smell a sweet-fatty odor, they're more apt to choose to eat a high-calorie dessert twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2026eaf006e45cc/69885ccd5f570f4f60b1ca5c/pain-au-chocolat.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Is Why You're a Total Sucker for Sweets > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=feeb346d-f52c-4b81-bb12-cd5d1d24f49c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Should I Eat Butter? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Eat Butter?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MlbiwnQ6.m3u8) (1:46)  _Published 2015-06-17. While few health experts would encourage you to eat more of it, 2.5 out of 5 experts gave butter the thumbs up._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jul 28, 2015 6:59 PM UTC  French pain au chocolat pastry French pain au chocolat pastry Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jul 28, 2015 6:59 PM UTC Bakeries may want to keep their doors open if they want to attract more customers; [new research](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666315002998) suggests that when people unconsciously smell a sweet and fatty odor—like the kind that emanates from a just-baked chocolate croissant—they’re more likely to choose to eat a high-calorie dessert. In the new study published in the journal _Appetite_, researchers tested whether background cues, like sniffing something delicious, have an effect on a person’s food choices. Before the 147 people in the study even realized the experiment had begun, they were told to sit in a waiting room for 15 minutes. In one control group, they simply sat in a regular room. In another (luckier) group, they sat in a room in which the researchers had just baked pain au chocolat and activated a fragrance diffuser with the scent of the treat. The third group sat in an unscented room while a radio aired a piece about the nutritional dangers of fatty and sweet foods, and the final group experienced both the chocolate scent and the audio messages. **MORE**: [You Asked: Is Eating Dessert Really That Bad For Me?](http://time.com/3556608/healthy-desserts/) Then, the people in the study were taken into a different room where they were asked to serve themselves a lunch of a starter, a main course and a dessert from a buffet. People who had unwittingly smelled the sweet-fatty odor of the pain au chocolat were more likely to choose a high-calorie dessert, like a waffle, compared to people who hadn’t been exposed to the scented room. (Those people were more likely to choose the low-calorie dessert of applesauce.) **MORE**: [A New Taste Has Just Been Added To The Human Palate](http://time.com/3973294/fat-taste-oleogustus/) Surprisingly to the researchers, the people who heard the nutritional messages also picked more high-calorie desserts that the control group, as did the group that experienced both the scent and the messaging. “We can assume that people who are faced with a complex and potentially overwhelming set of health messages every day do not pay attention to these messages,” the study authors write. “Consumers are exposed to hundreds of advertising messages per day and cannot pay attention to all of them.” Instead of taking away a healthy eating message from the radio, the researchers surmise that the men and women may have unconsciously focused on the words “fatty” and “sweet” instead. The study sample is small, and the researchers acknowledge that they weren’t able to examine other factors related to eating habits and preferences, like gender and age. Still, the study provides insight into cues we may not even realize are influencing the foods we choose. ## Transcript Americans eat almost 23 sticks of butter each year. But while few health experts will encourage you to eat more of it, 2. 5 out of 5 experts say yes to butter. [ MUSIC ] There was a time when butter would've been a clear cut no. After all, it's a block of fat made with churned milk, and sometimes with added salt. Just one tablespoon of salted butter has 36 % of your daily limit for saturated fat. But recent research suggests that saturated fat might not be as bad as previously thought, says Nina Teicholz. Although it increases levels of LDL cholesterol, which is associated with higher rates of heart disease, Saturated fat, also seems to increase HDL cholesterol, which might help ease some of those effects. It's safe in moderation, and it's a natural source of added fat, agrees Julia Zumpano. She adds, that's it's a much better choice, than buttery spreads, that contain hydrogenated oils. But David Katz, opts for olive oil instead, which is high in monounsaturated fats, and is proven to improve health. Even if saturated fat is, at best, not harmful, that doesn't mean it's beneficial, he says. On a healthy food spectrum, ranging from blueberries to Coke, Walter Willett says he would put butter somewhere in the middle, maybe a little closer t o the Coke. And Dariush Mozaffarian gave a neutral thumb, saying there's no evidence it's good for you, but little evidence for major harm. So, what does all this mean for your eating habits? Walter Willis suggests saving the butter for a special occasion, when the flavor is essential. For me, he says, that's several times a year with lobster. 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