Stealing a companion’s food gives us an adrenaline rush similar to riding roller coaster rides or watching a horror film and is its own form of stress, according to a leading behavioural psychologist. With 39 million of us having been a victim of “fry theft”, with regular handfuls being swiped from our plates by friends or family members, it has been revealed that having your food pinched can feel like a genuine loss with emotions ranging from good humour to the feeling of being robbed.
In response to this growing trend, McDonald’s is launching a service for victims of ‘fry theft’. “Fries Claims’ will take over McDonald’s Twitter feed today, Friday, October 7, encouraging fans to report their stolen fries. A ‘Fries Claims’ lawyer will hand out legal advice, live video replies and vouchers to act as compensation for successful claimants throughout the day.
In the report for McDonald’s, psychologist Jo Hemmings found that perpetrators justify their behaviour because of the quantity and feeling that small amounts won’t be missed. “Thefts” tend to be carried out by “plate separatists” who prefer their food in individual portions and that in evolutional psychology terms are doing so to stop the food being lost to another predator.
.jpg?w=600)
