Following Amsterdam's ban on fossil fuel and meat advertising, researchers have observed a rapid pruning of the neural pathways associated with hydrocarbon cravings. A new paper suggests the human visual cortex may heal from carbon-intensive marketing in a matter of weeks.
An observational study published Tuesday in Nature details the physiological shift occurring in the Dutch capital. Lead author Dr. Arjen van der Berg mapped the brain activity of 400 commuters as they passed tram shelters previously leased by Royal Dutch Shell and Burger King. Without the ambient stimuli of sizzling ground chuck or discounted KLM flights to Ibiza, subjects exhibited a complete cessation of involuntary fossil-fuel longing. The sheer adaptability of the human mind, quietly rewriting its own architecture to simply forget the internal combustion engine, is nothing short of breathtaking.
Independent neuroscientists have praised the methodology, noting that the rapid decay of meat-recognition pathways offers an unprecedented window into urban cognition. However, some caution that the cognitive ecosystem remains delicate as the city transitions to a stimulus-free environment.
While the localized extinction of the desire to burn refined petroleum is absolutely fascinating, it is simply too early to tell if these subjects will ever organically remember how to grill a sausage.