There is a common tendency among those interested in explaining or predicting human behavior to assume that things happen for a reason; that we humans look outward to the world around us, make reasoned judgments based on the information at hand, and act according to the best interests of ourselves or those close to us.



This is a comfortable position because among other things it suggests that things happen for a reason; that if we just take the time to ask the right questions we can get to the bottom of why people do what they do.

But what if things aren't like this? Perhaps there might be more to be gained by exploring alternative perspectives on human behavior?

We raise this issue because there has been a lot of talk recently about research that questions the health claims of many of the vitamins, herbal supplements and ingredients consumers are so fond of these days.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (subscriber login required) summarizing current medical research casts a negative light on the beneficial effects of vitamins A,C and E and even our much cherished antioxidants. Given the size of the vitamin and supplement marketplace, it's something of an understatement to suggest this research might provoke anxiety, if not hysteria, from even the most seasoned of marketers.

From our perspective, however, such research is only a problem if we assume consumers have been utilizing vitamins and supplements from the rationalistic, means-end perspective; that after carefully evaluating research and health claims, consumers select an appropriate regimen, follow dosage levels as prescribed, carefully evaluate the effects, and make adjustments as necessary. As anyone who has ever studied this behavior knows quite well, however, nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, consumers come to rely on supplements from a staggeringly diverse set of causal factors that can include lessons learned from Mom, divine inspiration, folk wisdom learned in school, conversations in the workplace, television soundbites, advertisements, counsel from medical professionals, tips from Aunt Mabel, magazine articles, and on and on.

Moreover, as we all learned from that grade school game "Telephone," there is little reason to necessarily believe that we even receive the information originating from such sources in a form approximating the original.

Next, factor into the equation our general tendency to avoid subjecting our learned knowledge to critical evaluation. Whether because we're lazy, or simply too busy, how many among us really devote the energy necessary to question our everyday learnings?

In the end, though, consumers turn to supplements simply because they all feel compelled to do something to improve their health, not to mention their lives. Ours is a culture devoted to self-improvement, where the life's project has much less to do with lofty ideals such as happiness, nobility or honor than it does the constant, pragmatic work necessary to better one's self. Who knows if vitamins or supplements really "work," it's still better to do something than sit around and do nothing, no?

From this perspective, then, it becomes much easier to explain how a wide percentage of the consuming public can somehow become obsessed with consuming foods or beverages thought to be high in antioxidants. You see, it really doesn't matter that there has never been any conclusive scientific evidence that antioxidants promote good health. All that is necessary is a narrative (i.e., a story) based on a scientific "hunch" - what amounts to nothing more than a theory.

So what we're really talking about here are a collection of stories, passed along through informal networks in the form of knowledge, which sometimes lead to concrete behavior. The stories need not necessarily share much in common with science, nor do they even need to be verifiable. For that matter, the stories don't even need to have much to do with our common-sense understandings of reality. All that is required is that we believe them just enough to consider acting on some, and not on others.

Like many other theories, our theory regarding antioxidants gives us just enough hope to believe that consuming these foods might work. Given the vast history of human behavior surrounding potentially sound theories (communism, life on mars, the world is flat, etc.), it's not much of a stretch to explain something as mundane as consumption of red wine or pomegranate juice. Or, put another way, if perfectly healthy, rational adults can participate in chain letter schemes and convince themselves of their chances to win the lottery, selling vitamins to Boomers must look like a slam dunk.

From this perspective, then, we see little cause for immediate concern that an increasing body of scientific evidence questions the efficacy of many common vitamins or supplements. As we've said for many years, supplement use has never really been about the science or effectiveness, it's been about consumers striving to better their health and wellness and believing in their efforts.

And on this measure alone they appear to have achieved marked success.

CONSUMER VOICE

on supplements

Supplement use is often a leap of faith that most supplement users are quite aware of and comfortable with:

"I'm not really sure yet what they are doing for me, but other people are convinced it makes a difference. So I'm willing to give them a try".

"I really go by how I feel. Lets say I stopped taking x and I didn't feel as good, then I'd just start taking x again. I take whatever others say about them with a grain of salt."

"Do I care about the scientific research on supplements? Phooey. It took them years to prove that cigarettes were bad for you, and if you can't prove that what can you prove? I don't place a lot of stock in that sort of research."

"I like to see that certain things are clinically proven, but if they help me, I'll probably take them anyway."

Taking supplements is an empowering act - a way for consumers to take control of their health, a way of feeling less helpless, a way of taking action:

"I'm not the kind who carries signs, but I am very concerned about, you know, the state of things. It's difficult not to feel helpless. Health and fairness go together in my mind. You better believe I am open to anything that gives me a feeling that I can change things, even just for myself and my family."

"The doctor gave me meds for my depression and my weight issues, but I stopped taking them, and decided I want to take care of this myself. I'm working on how to see the good in life and to help my kids do that as well."

"I feel that your well-being is really in your own hands. It's up to me to get to the root of the problems, not just treat the symptoms."

Consulting doctors and medical authorities about supplement use is actually quite irrelevant to supplement consumers:

"I assume my doctor wouldn't really care if I told him I was taking glucosamine or a multivitamin. At worst, he would probably just say I was wasting my money, and I wouldn't care."

"I'm just tired of them treating symptoms, and never getting to the bottom of things, they never tell you just how not to get sick to begin with."

"After my hospital experience, I'm much more leery of anything they tell me to do".

Consumers quickly come to see supplement usage as very individual and speak frequently of purchasing for their unique needs. Supplement use creates a customized view of health care:

"Not everything works for everyone"

"Not all bodies are the same"

"I look for the ingredients I need right now, it may be different next year"

"I see interesting products in the supplement aisle, but none of them pertain to my issues right now"