
How to make the most of your Halloween candy
What does candy have to do with Halloween?
A lot, actually, according to a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.
The study suggests that the Halloween season can be a good time to give kids some extra treats that will keep them occupied for the rest of the week.
“Children may find it more pleasant to sit in front of a television or computer, or to read, or go to the bathroom, and they may want to indulge with more candy than usual,” said study author Laura F. Smith, PhD, assistant professor of marketing at Emory University.
Children and teens who participate in a typical Halloween candy-making session spend roughly a third of their day at home, according the researchers.
They also may feel more refreshed after they finish their chores, which helps them spend less time with their families.
As a result, the study suggests, they may have more fun during the week than usual.
“When you are at home with your family, your kids are playing with their toys, and there is no time to go to work or to school,” Smith said.
Smith, who presented the findings at the 2017 American Psychological Association meeting, also suggested that kids who do not get the chance to indulge during the Halloween holidays may not be spending the time they would have during a normal week.
“We may be spending too much time at work and too little time at home,” she said.
“Kids may want candy because they like the feel of the candy or because they enjoy having a lot of candy in the house.
We think this may help us promote a more fun, productive Halloween.”
The researchers looked at the data from more than 2,000 children in the U.S. over two years.
Participants were asked how often they enjoyed candy, what their favorite candy was and how often their parents had made them a batch of candy for the day.
They were also asked about their social interaction with family and friends and about the way they spent time together.
When asked about what they enjoyed about the Halloween festivities, kids with the most candy spending habits tended to say that it was the fun they were having with their friends and with their family, which was why they were also most likely to say they enjoyed watching the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
However, the children who were the least likely to get candy during Halloween spent the majority of their time at school and were less likely to have a good social life.
Overall, the research suggests that kids should focus on getting candy during the holiday season because it is the most social and the most rewarding.
“It’s really important to have fun and socialize, because you want your kids to have the opportunity to have social experiences and social interaction,” Smith added.
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