Ask Mary

You are experiencing classical conditioning.  A neutral stimulus (the movies) was repeatedly paired with a response (eating candy and popcorn), and so now the two are linked, and since food is tasty, you feel unhappy when it is taken away. To break the stimulus-response chain, develop a plan before you get to the theater. You could bring a healthy snack, neglect to bring cash for snacks, or go with friends who don’t choose to snack.  It also helps to commit to eating, or not eating, in response to physical hunger.  If you are actually hungry, then you may elect to eat popcorn; just skip the extra butter, buy a smaller size and enjoy!