Why Is It So Salty?

Experiment #2574863 - Bar Popcorn Myth

One of my favorite things in the world is popcorn. Huge handfuls of popcorn. So much that half of it misses your mouth and lands on the floor. The buttery goodness trickling down your cheeks..yum.

This is one of the reasons that I enjoy going to bars that offer free popcorn.

Now there are a few camps of thought when it comes to why popcorn is served free at the bar.

1.) Salt makes you drink more.

2.) People who have food in their stomach can drink more.

3.) People with limited money have to choose between beer and food no longer have to.

All of these items in the end are aimed at selling more booze then the cost of the popcorn it takes to get people to drink it.


Here comes the test several people who are friends of mine who happen to be both big drinkers and popcorn eaters walk into a test bar. (This is unknown to them that this is the test bar) We order drinks and I make a mark on napkin of how fast everyone finished their drink. (All about equal)

We then go to a popcorn bar and they are asked to draw drink straws - Blue Straw = Popcorn Eater, Red Straw = Non-Popcorn eater

I tell them that I would like to see what team can fart the loudest at the end of the night the people who at the popcorn or those who didn't. (I didn't want to tell them the truth about what was being measured since as soon as you make people aware it is a quantity thing your results get screwed)

I then tally drinks for each person on a napkin for the rest of the night

So the results.....

They both drank the same amounts. But the team without the popcorn reported to be less happy. (I think I fucking hate you sometimes) was the exact phase they also reported (bitched) more the next morning about their hang over's.

I realize these results are still inconclusive, and a much larger sample size is needed but I still was surprised that there was no difference in the amount consumed between these two camps...

But I think I found something else - Popcorn eaters are happier then non-popcorn eaters.

Now I just need to do this with a big enough sample size that I can write a paper on it.