For most of my career I have kept a large apothecary jar of candy in my office. Rarely does anyone ask me why.
Do I have a sweet tooth? Well, yes. Am I just being generous? That’s doubtful. I do have a jar of candy in my office because it is a great psychological tool.
Virtually everyone associates candy with pleasure. It is a reward, something we got when we were good. It is sweet and the body craves sugar, like it craves fat and salt.
When we have meetings, especially those that last a long while, our body energy gets depleted. We crave something to replenish that energy. And what better source than a candy or two or three or four.
The thing about candy is that when your body gets its sugar hit, you feel very good. This leads to more positive thinking and more positive meetings.
After people burned negative energy, I have seen tense meetings calm down when they replaced that energy with some quick firing sugar from the candy jar.
We have used all kinds of treats, jelly beans (still have), M&Ms (both peanut and plain), candy corn, cinnamon hearts, and for those who may feel too much guilt on straight sugar, Trail mix.
We have, over the years, gathered many containers including various gumball machines – both antique and replicas, apothecary jars like the one shown here, and pottery jars. The best ones are the ones that leave the candy visible, inviting and easily accessible.
People have come to my office to complain about something, have a candy and feel a lot better. Sometimes they would just drop in for a candy and stay for a chat, giving me their now relaxed point of view on what was happening in their area of the company as they stocked up on their sugar hit and the sugar prompted the production of euphoric endorphins and dopamine, pleasure sensors, in their brains.
We even used the candy jar as a theme in a promo website we did many years ago. The idea was to answer questions and get candy, or get answers wrong and you lose candy. It was a fun site.
Candies are nice, friendly, and engaging. They allow folks to relax, feel good and even be happy. Their blood gets a sugar rush that is almost always felt as a positive experience.
So if you want to drop in for some candy, come on by. It is always here.