Latest findings in behavioural science to explain the psychology of food choices and barriers to behaviour change Presented by: Erin Boyd Kappelhof, MS, MPH, RDN Managing Partner Eat Well Global, Inc.
Who is Eat Well Global? We are a nimble, highly-specialized global communications agency focused on food, nutrition and health. We partner with our clients to navigate the global food and nutrition landscape and move the needle on their most pressing issues.
What You ll Hear Today Background on Behavioural Science Latest research Food Marketing Out of Home Eating Food Shopping In Home Eating Application What can nutrition professionals and the food industry do with this?
Background
What is Behavioural Science? anthropology sociology criminology psychology cognitive science
Behaviourism Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning
Behavioral Science and Food We make 200 food decisions Every. Single. Day. Wansink, Brian and Jeffery Sobal (2007), Mindless Eating: The 200 Daily Food Decisions We Overlook, Environment and Behavior, 39:1 (January), 106-23
Latest Research Findings
The Behavioural Science of Eating
Instagram Makes Food Taste Better Coary, Journal of Consumer Marketing, 2016
Food Marketing
An Upside of Marketing Food to Children Hanks, Pediatrics, 2016
Pictures on Food Packages Bias Serving Size Images on food packaging heavily influence how consumers decide how much to eat Larger than standard serving sizes Including extras (e.g. cake frosting) Brand, Public Health Nutrition, 2016
Food in Motion Images of food in motion rated more appealing and fresher than images of still juice. Gvili, Food Quality and Preference, 2015
If It s Healthy, Eat More! If a food is labelled more healthfully, people will eat 35% more of the same food that was labelled as unhealthy. Photo: invitehealthblog.com Provencher, Appetite, 2009
Eating Out
Bright Lighting Encourages Healthy Food Choices Photo: https://oldtiogafarm.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/cimg80221.jpg Biwas, Journal of Marketing Research, 2016
Low Prices and High Regret Higher buffet prices linked to more guilt and physical discomfort vs lower prices Lower price = lower expectations? Sigirci. BMC Nutrition, 2015
The Waiter s Weight Diners ordered fewer items if served by a high BMI female server and more items if served by a high BMI male server. High BMI servers were also associated with a greater number of diners ordering desserts regardless of gender. Doering, Environment & Behavior, 2015
Men Eat More in the Company of Women Men appear to eat more food when sharing a meal with women than with other men. Men even eat larger quantities of both unhealthy and healthy foods when they re dining with women! Kniffin, Evolutionary Psychological Science, 2015
Loud Music Makes People Drink Faster Researchers in France found that patrons in bars with extra loud music (88 db) drank a small glass of beer an average three minutes faster than patrons in bars with music at a normal volume. --Professional Nicolas Gueguen, 2004 and 2008
Food Shopping
Food Samples Make a Difference Often leads to purchases Can prime shoppers to purchase healthy foods Photo: Carters Tal, Psychology & Marketing, 2015
Ingredient-based Food Fears and Avoidance People with food fears tend to receive their information from the internet and tend to exaggerate potential risks of specific food ingredients. Photo: Boxymag.com Wansink, Food Quality and Preference, 2014
Home & Kitchen
Stress Eating!!
Kitchen Counter: Clutter, Chaos, and Overconsumption Clutter + Chaos = Overconsumption Kitchen counter items impact BMI Fruit Toaster Packaged items Vartanian, Environment and Behavior, 2016
Clean Plate Club When self-serving foods, people eat: 91% of food! Served and ate more healthy foods than unhealthy foods More continuous foods than discrete More meals than snacks Photo: Livestrong.com Wansink, International Journal of Obesity, 2015
Television and Overeating Highly-distracting TV content leads to overeating Photo: huffingtonpost.uk Aner JAMA Internal Medicine, 2014
Application
Cues are all around us 200 daily food decisions = thousands of influencing factors Interpersonal, commercial, subconscious factors Responsibility + Opportunity: Behavioural nutrition can help us understand where we CAN and SHOULD play a role
Thank You ekappelhof@eatwellglobal.com www.eatwellglobal.com