HEALTHY CHOICES: WHY PSYCHOLOGY AND THE BRAIN PLAY A VITAL ROLE. Rachel Evans. MSc. MBPsS.

HEALTHY CHOICES: WHY PSYCHOLOGY AND THE BRAIN PLAY A VITAL ROLE Rachel Evans. MSc. MBPsS. revans9@sheffield.ac.uk

HEALTHY CHOICES Apple vs Cake (dichotomous choice) 1 slice of cake vs multiple (portion control) 80:20 rule (frequency)

HEALTHY CHOICES Fruit and vegetables High nutrient dense Low calorie Junk food / processed Low nutrient dense High calorie

HOW MANY FOOD CHOICES DO YOU MAKE PER DAY? A) 15 B) 226 C) 157

HOW MANY FOOD CHOICES DO YOU MAKE PER DAY? 226

Monkey Brain (system 1) Developed early in evolution; limbic system Controls automatic and instinctive responses Executes familiar routines / habits Acts on emotion Seeks immediate pleasure Fast and effortless responses Dual process model - Strack & Deutsch, 2004

Monkey Brain (system 1) Developed early in evolution; limbic system Controls automatic and instinctive responses Executes familiar routines / habits Acts on emotion Seeks immediate pleasure Fast and effortless responses Rational Brain (system 2) Functioning of the cerebral cortex Controls rational and logical thought Capable of abstract thinking Sense of choice and control Can set intentions and plan for long-term goals Slow and effortful responses Dual process model - Strack & Deutsch, 2004

Goal: To eat healthily

WHY DO WE MAKE UNHEALTHY FOOD CHOICES? 1 - Preference for immediate rewards 2 - Tastiness automatically captures attention 3 - Failure to recognise self-control dilemmas

1- PREFERENCE FOR IMMEDIATE REWARDS The ability to delay gratification and a preference for future rewards is related to BMI, intentions, and healthy food choices (Amlung et al., 2016; Barlow et al., 2016; Evans et al., 2017 ; Mischel, 2015).

2- TASTINESS CAPTURES ATTENTION AUTOMATICALLY Data from mouse tracking and eye- tracking studies suggests that tastiness is processed faster than healthfulness (Motoki et al, in press; Sullivan et al., 2015).

3- FAILURE TO RECOGNISE SELF-CONTROL DILEMMAS Detecting a conflict between our desires and long term goals is important to trigger self-control efforts (De Ridder et al., 2012; Van der Laan et al., 2014).

IMPLICATIONS Implement strategies to avoid temptations when faced with an immediate reward Focus on the immediate benefits of healthy choices (e.g. de Bruijn & Budding, 2016) Decide to eat unhealthy options some other time (Mead & Patrick, 2016) Develop If-Then plans (Adriaanse et al., 2011; Vilá et al., 2017)

INTERVENTIONS Mindfulness to reduce reactivity to food cues (Keesman et al., 2017; Marchiori & Papies, 2014) Cognitive defusion (Moffitt et al., 2012 ; Jenkins & Tapper, 2014)

MORE BARRIERS TO HEALTHY CHOICES! Food history / past experiences Education Cooking skills + self efficacy Availability of healthy options Perceived cost, time + effort Motivation Self-control processes Environmental cues

SUMMARY System 1 (Monkey brain) + System 2 (Rational brain) Why do we make unhealthy choices? 1 - Preference for immediate rewards 2 - Tastiness automatically captures attention 3 - Failure to recognise self-control dilemmas Implications; to make healthier choices we need to break the automatic link between unhealthy food and consumption behaviour

HEALTHY CHOICES: WHY PSYCHOLOGY AND THE BRAIN PLAY A VITAL ROLE Rachel Evans. MSc. MBPsS. revans9@sheffield.ac.uk twitter: @healthyandpsych

REFERENCES (ARTICLES) Adriaanse, M. A., Vinkers, C. D. W., De Ridder, D. T., Hox, J. J., & De Wit, J. B.F. (2011). Do implementation intentions help to eat a healthy diet? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the empirical evidence. Appetite, 56, 183 193 Barlow, P., Reeves, A., McKee, M., Galea, G., & Stuckler, D. (2016). Unhealthy diets, obesity and time discounting: a systematic literature review and network analysis. Obesity Reviews, 9, 810 819 Evans, R., Norman, P., & Webb T. L. (2017). Using Temporal Self-Regulation Theory to understand healthy and unhealthy eating intentions and behaviours, Appetite, 116, 357-364. Jenkins, K. T., & Tapper, K. (2014). Resisting chocolate temptation using a brief mindfulness strategy. British Journal of Health Psychology, 19, 509 522. Keesman, M., Aarts, H., Häfner, M. & Papies, E. K. (2017) Mindfulness reduces reactivity to food cues: underlying mechanisms and applications in daily life. Current Addiction Reports, 4, 151-157. Marchiori, D. and Papies, E. K. (2014) A brief mindfulness intervention reduces unhealthy eating when hungry, but not the portion size effect. Appetite, 75, 40-45. Mead, N. L., & Patrick, V. M. (2016). The Taming of Desire: Unspecific Postponement Reduces Desire for and Consumption of Postponed Temptations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 110, 20 35. Moffitt, R., Brinkworth, G., Noakes, M., & Mohr, P. (2012). A comparison of cognitive restructuring and cognitive defusion as strategies for resisting a craved food. Psychology and Health, 27, 74-90.

Motoki, K., Saito, T., Nouchi, R., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (In Press). Tastiness but not healthfulness captures automatic visual attention: Preliminary evidence from an eyetracking study. Food Quality and Preference. de Bruijn, G-J., & Budding, J. (2016) Temporal consequences, message framing, and consideration of future consequences: Persuasion effects on adult fruit intake intention and resolve. Journal of Health Communication, 21:8. de Ridder, D. T., Lensvelt-Mulders, G., Finkenauer, C., Stok, M., & Baumeister, R. F. (2012). Taking stock of self-control: A meta-analysis of how trait self-control relates to a wide range of behaviours. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 16, 76-99. Strack, F., & Deutsch, R. (2004). Reflective and impulsive determinants of social behavior. Personality & Social Psychology Review, 8, 220-247 Sullivan, N., Hutcherson, C., Harris, A., & Rangel, A. (2015). Dietary self-control is related to the speed with which attributes of healthfulness and tastiness are processed. Psychological Science, 26, 122 134. Van der Laan, L. N., de Ridder, D. T. D., Charbonnier, L., Viergever, M. A., & Smeets, P. A. M. (2014). Sweet lies: neural, visual, and behavioral measures reveal a lack of self-control conflict during food choice in weight-concerned women. Front Behavioral Neuroscience, 8: 184. Vilá, I., Carrero, I., & Redondo, R. (2017). Reducing fat intake using implementation intentions: A meta-analytic review. British Journal of Health Psychology, 22, 281-294 Wansink, B., & Sobal, J. (2007). Mindless Eating: The 200 daily food decisions we overlook. Environment and Behavior, 39, 106-123.

REFERENCES (BOOKS) Mischel, W. (2015) The Marshmallow Test: Understanding Self-Control and How to Master It. Corgi: Croydon, UK.