Speed Reading — Level 4 — 200 wpm

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A German University says adverts at cinemas are less effective when people eat popcorn. A report said people remember the names of products by silently saying them. This is difficult with a mouth full of popcorn. The report is titled "Popcorn in the Cinema: Oral Interference Sabotages Advertising Effects". It says chewing stops the brain's "inner speech" whenever we see or hear a new name. Researchers say this happens without us thinking about it.

Almost 100 people watched a movie. Half of them ate popcorn; the rest had a sugar cube. The group then rated various products that were advertised during the movie. The sugar cube group remembered more names than the popcorn group. The report said simply eating popcorn reduced the effects of the advertising. The research suggests that popcorn in cinemas is bad for advertisers. However, there is usually a 900% mark-up on popcorn in cinemas.

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