Impulsive eater? Remembering failures may help curb eating
September 15, 2008
Remember when you pigged out on birthday cake? If you're an impulsive eater, that memory might help you choose a fruit salad next time around.
When it comes to tempting or fattening foods, some people are a lot more impulsive than others. And according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, impulsive people think and act differently than non-impulsive people after they remember a time when they resisted or succumbed to temptation.
Authors Anirban Mukhopadhyay (University of Michigan), Jaideep Sengupta (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), and Suresh Ramanathan (University of Chicago) assessed the impulsivity of participants in four related studies. They had participants recall instances where they gave in to temptation or resisted it. In addition to making hypothetical food choices, participants also had opportunities to eat cookies or cheeseballs—without knowing their consumption was being tracked. In the case of impulsive people, "…thinking about failure may actually beget success," write the authors.
"We propose and find that chronically non-impulsive individuals display behavior consistency over time—resisting when they recall having resisted earlier. In contrast, impulsive individuals show a switching pattern, resisting current temptations if they recall having succumbed, and vice versa," write the authors.
"So what is it that makes people succumb to temptation, time after sinful time? We suggest that the likelihood of a repeat act of indulgence depends on what people recall doing the previous time they were faced with a similar choice," the authors write. "In general, chronically impulsive people are more likely to feel this conflict between the two forces—of giving in and holding back, while those who tend to be less impulsive are also less likely to experience such a struggle."
The results of this study suggest ways to improve the health of both impulsive and non-impulsive consumers. Both groups did a better job of resisting temptation when they recalled past instances of resisting temptation along with their reasons for resisting.
Anirban Mukhopadhyay, Jaideep Sengupta, and Suresh Ramanathan. "Recalling Past Temptations: An Information-Processing Perspective on the Dynamics of Self-Control" Journal of Consumer Research: December 2008.
Contact: Mary-Ann Twist
JCR@bus.wisc.edu
608-255-5582
University of
Chicago Press Journals
Pictures of hot fudge sundaes arouse: Understanding emotions improves our food choices
Menus and advertising affect our emotions, and if we understand those emotions, we make better food choices, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Authors Blair Kidwell, David M. Hardesty, and Terry L. Childers (all University of Kentucky) examined the "emotional intelligence" of consumers, including obese people. They found that people who made the healthiest choices had high correlations between their emotional intelligence and confidence in their emotional intelligence—what the authors call "emotional calibration."
"When perusing a restaurant menu, many consumers may not be aware of the subtle implicit feelings of arousal elicited by visually appealing presentations of unhealthy food choices," the authors write. Faced with choices between healthy and unhealthy food options, individuals who are confident that they can appropriately interpret and employ their emotions, but who do not actually possess these emotional abilities, are likely to make low-quality decisions."
In the first of two studies, the authors measured emotional ability, confidence, and nutritional knowledge. They asked participants to plan meals from a menu with a wide range of options—some healthier than others. They found that people with emotional miscalibration chose foods higher in calories, even more so than people with low levels of nutritional knowledge.
In the second study, obese individuals conducted an online survey. The researchers found that among obese people, emotional miscalibration leaves them susceptible to impulsive eating triggered by vivid pictures of food.
These results may be helpful in finding ways to help overeaters regain control. Since emotional calibration can reduce obese people's impulsive eating, encouraging emotional calibration may be useful in improving these consumers' food choices and overall health
"Specifically, we have found that possessing greater ability (for both low and high confidence groups) is necessary and fundamental to better decisions. However, we find that consumers must also possess sufficient levels of heightened confidence to capitalize on those abilities," the authors conclude.
Blair Kidwell, David M. Hardesty, and Terry L. Childers. "Emotional Calibration Effects on Consumer Choice" Journal of Consumer Research: December 2008.
Contact: Mary-Ann Twist
JCR@bus.wisc.edu
608-255-5582
University of
Chicago Press Journals
Don't throw the candy out: Temptation leads to moderation
Banishing tempting goodies may not be the best way to keep from eating them.
Tempting foods can actually increase willpower, according to new research in the Journal of Consumer Research. Although it seems counterintuitive, consumers show more self-control after they've spent some time in the presence of a treat.
Authors Kelly Geyskens, Siegfried DeWitte, Mario Pandelaere, and Luk Warlop (all Catholic University, Leuven, Belgium) conducted a series of studies where they created temptation situations for study participants. They found that the presence of actual M&Ms (as opposed to pictures or smells), improved participants' self control.
"In three experimental studies, we demonstrate that "actionability" (that is, the opportunity to consume the temptation) of the prior food temptation is the pivotal variable," explain the authors. "It appears that the self-control strategies that are marshaled to deal with the conflict in the previous tempting situation linger into the subsequent temptation situation, and hence helps consumers to control their food intake."
According to the authors, previous studies have not distinguished between actionable and non-actionable temptations (ones where the person can actually consume the item vs. ones where the person sees or smells the tempting item but cannot physically consume it). The researchers compared various situations (including putting participants in a room filled with the aroma of fresh-baked brownies) and found that they were best able to control their eating when the temptation was real.
"The results of the three studies imply that tempting consumers with real food may help them to restrict their food intake on a subsequent consumption opportunity. This suggests that having candy in large stocks at home thus might help women with their attempts at controlling their food intake, whereas seeing pictures of food in magazines or on television might lead them to eat more when given the occasion," the authors conclude.
Kelly Geyskens, Siegfried DeWitte, Mario Pandelaere, and Luk Warlop. "Tempt Me Just a Little Bit More: The Effect of Prior Food Temptation Actionability on Goal Activation and Consumption" Journal of Consumer Research: December 2008.
Contact: Mary-Ann Twist
JCR@bus.wisc.edu
608-255-5582
University of
Chicago Press Journals