Study finds pizza can increase work productivity

A recent study claims that pizza is a bigger motivator than cash and can make people more productive at work when used as a stimulus. The discovery was made by psychologist Dan Ariely and detailed in his book Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations.

Ariely’s experiment offered four separate groups of employees at an Intel semiconductor factory in Israel rewards for increased productivity. One group was offered a bonus of about $30, another pizza, another a compliment from their boss, and the last group was offered nothing. Ariely found that pizza, as opposed to cash and compliments, was the biggest initial motivator. As reported by The Cut, the study stated that the promise of pizza increased productivity by 6.7 percent on the first day. That means that employees dreaming of gooey, saucy pizza worked 6.7 percent harder, all for some carbs. (Who can’t relate?)

Over the course of the weeklong study, the success of the pizza group dropped off and the most successful group ended up being the group that received compliments. As stated in his book, Ariely feels that pizza would have been the overall winner if he had been able to parcel out the reward via home delivery. “This way … we not only would give them a gift, but we would also make them heroes in the eyes of their families,” he wrote.

As if you needed more reasons to enjoy pizza (besides it being a great motivator and making you more productive at work): It’s also healthier than most breakfast cereals.