Factors Affecting Our Food Choices
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Hunger, appetite and taste influence our food choices, but there are many unsuspecting factors that affect what, when and how we eat. Family and friends influence the type and quantity of food we eat. Religious beliefs can affect food type and frequency of meals.
Social and environmental concerns can sway individuals to avoid animal foods or to eat organic. The type of lighting and music played in a restaurant can influence how much and how quickly people eat. If people around us are eating, we tend to eat, even if we are not hungry and the food is unappealing. We'll drink more out of a short wide glass, than a tall skinny glass. We tend to make good food choices when we are in a positive mood and make poor choices when we are in a negative mood. The fact that food is everywhere can drive us to eat, even when we are not hungry and the food is unappealing. |
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Dim light and slow music means less food intake
We eat less with dim lights and slow music
When dining out, there are many factors that are unknowingly influencing you. You may not realize it, but when you dine in a calm environment with dim lights and soft music, you actually eat less and enjoy your food more. The opposite is also true. When dining in a fast food establishment with fluorescent lights and a loud, chaotic environment, we are inclined to eat more and to eat more quickly! Dr. Brian Wansink and Dr. Koert Van Ittersum were able to transform half of a Hardee’s fast food restaurant into a fine dining environment with jazz music and soft lighting to study this effect (1). The time spent in the fine dining area versus the regular area was recorded and the amounts of food eaten were assessed. The Hardee’s fine diners lingered longer and ate less! For a fast food restaurant, bright lights and loud music will get customers in and out, spending more and eating more. Better for them, but not for us!
Friends and family influence eating
Children who eat regular family meals have a greater fruit and vegetable intake (2). Children who have a positive social environment tend to have better eating patterns (3). In a 2014 study, investigators found that we are more likely to make unhealthy food choices and serve ourselves more food when eating with someone who is overweight (4).
Would you eat stale popcorn?
We'll eat stale popcorn, if we're at the movies
Most people say that they would not be influenced by their environment, yet most studies demonstrate that people are, in fact, influenced by their surroundings. In another study by Dr. Brian Wansink movie goers were given a free bucket of popcorn and a soda. Half received a large bucket and the other half a medium bucket. The catch was that this was 5 day old stale popcorn. Despite the popcorn being stale, the movie goers couldn't resist the popcorn. Many could not put the popcorn down despite complaining about horrible taste. Those with the large size containers ate 34% more stale popcorn than those given medium size buckets (5). Many had just eaten lunch. What does this study tell us? Hunger was not the driving force. Dr. Wansink describes this stale popcorn eating effect as a script we have for "eating popcorn at the movies". The size of the bucket contributed to consumption, but the distraction of the movie, the dark theater, the sound of others crunching on popcorn are all cues to contribute to eating stale popcorn. Dr. Wansink refers to labels, plate and bowl sizes, lighting, friends, family and music as hidden persuaders for food consumption. Most people are not aware of the many environmental influences or varying social triggers which encourage us to eat.
Size Matters - plate, bowl, spoon and glass size
We'll eat more ice cream, if we have a bigger bowl
Dr. Wansink decided to test a group of nutrition experts on their ability to portion size. He invited 86 nutritional science experts to an ice cream social after celebrating the success of a colleague. Nutritional science experts should not be fooled by something so trivial as the size of a bowl or an ice cream scoop, right? These 85 nutrition experts were given either a small or large bowl and either a small or large ice cream scoop. Their bowls were secretly weighed at the end of the table when they were cleverly asked to take a survey after they loaded their bowls (6). Those with the big bowls loaded up on 31% more ice cream. Those with the larger scooper loaded up on 14.5% more ice cream. Those scooping more ate more.
Dr. Wansink also conducted a study at a campground where teenagers were sent to lose a few pounds over the summer. When the teenagers were given a short, wide glass, they poured 76% more fluid into it than their fellow campers who were given the tall skinny glasses (7).
Dr. Wansink also conducted a study at a campground where teenagers were sent to lose a few pounds over the summer. When the teenagers were given a short, wide glass, they poured 76% more fluid into it than their fellow campers who were given the tall skinny glasses (7).
Home cooking impact food preferences
A systematic review of the impact of cooking classes on children’s food-related preferences, attitudes and behaviors found that cooking programs positively influence children’s food preferences and behaviors and attitudes about food (8). Researchers at the John Hopkins University found that people who cook most of their meals at home, eat healthier by consuming fewer carbohydrates, less sugar and less fat than those who cook at home less often (9).
Lounging, exercise and cheap food lead to weight gain ... huh?
We exercise more, yet we weigh more
Think we are all just too busy and too house poor to buy and cook healthy food? Researchers at the RAND corporation and the University of Illinois would disagree. In a review of the economic factors contributing to the obesity epidemic published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, researchers noted that we currently have the cheapest food in history and Americans spend much less of their income on food now compared to 85 years ago (10). What is interesting is that we have more leisure time now than we had in 1965. We also have greater access to fruits and vegetables and people are exercising more! Only 20% of Americans stated they were meeting the physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes of exercise five days a week in 1996 and in 2009 about 50% of American stated they were meeting these guidelines (11). We are relaxing more, exercising more and at the same time gaining more weight! The researchers suggested that the abundance of cheap food has contributed to this effect (10).
Mood influences food type and intake
We tend to select healthy foods when we are in a good mood and indulgent foods when we are in a bad mood Researchers studying this relationship found that individuals in positive moods think more about long term goals, such as health and are therefore more likely to make healthy food choices. This is compared to individuals in negative moods who are focusing on ways to immediately manage their mood and strive for an immediate sensory experience (12). Sad movies will also result in individuals eating more. Researchers found that individuals will eat more popcorn when they watch a sad movie, compared to when they watch a happy movie (13).
The effect of advertising - food chooses us
You don't choose the product, the product chooses you
In Adam Ferrier’s book, The Advertising Effect, he makes a convincing argument that we are all influenced by advertising. He emphasizes that the two most important factors in changing behavior are ease and motivation (14). Switching from one food product to another food product is a behavior change and changing behaviors is challenging. Clever manufacturers will make that change very easy for a consumer. Clever advertisers will provide the motivation for that change. For example, selling cereal bars to a cereal eating consumers. The manufacturer makes it easy by creating a cereal-like product in a simple, eat-on-the go bar. Cereal bars sit next to cereal boxes on grocery market shelves, which makes it easy for someone to grab a box of cereal bars, instead of their regular box of cereal. Advertisers sell this ease in commercials aimed at busy parents or executives who are rushed in the morning. Eating a cereal bar in the car on their way to work would save them time in the morning. A cereal bar could allow them to get to work on time. The advertiser has created the motivation to purchase the cereal bar. Ease and motivation lead to changes in behavior. The consumer has not chosen the cereal bar, the advertiser and manufacturer have chosen the consumer.
Think you are in control of your choices? ... think again.
Food Choices and Health Video
References
- Wansink, Brian, and Koert Van Ittersum (2012). Fast Food Restaurant Lighting and Music Can Reduce Calorie Intake and Increase Satisfaction. Psychological Reports: Human Resources & Marketing, 111(1), 1-5. http://www.amsciepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/01.PR0.111.4.228-232
- M. S. Christian, C. E. L. Evans, N. Hancock, C. Nykjaer, J. E. Cade. Family meals can help children reach their 5 A Day: a cross-sectional survey of children's dietary intake from London primary schools. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 2012. http://jech.bmj.com/content/67/4/332
- Patrick H, Nicklas T. A Review of Family and Social Determinants of Children’s Eating Patterns and Diet Quality. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 24, No. 2, 83–92 (2005). http://cgcoc.org/file/Patrick%20%282005%29.pdf
- Shimizu M, Johnson K, Wansink, B. In good company. The effect of an eating companion's appearance on food intake. Appetite. Volume 83, 1 December 2014, Pages 263–268. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666314004450
- Wansink, B. Junking K. Bad Popcorn in Big Buckets: Portion Size Can Influence Intake as Much as Taste. September–October, 2005. Journal of Nutrition and Education Behavior. Volume 37, Issue 5, Pages 242–245 .http://www.jneb.org/article/S1499-4046%2806%2960278-9/abstract
- Wansink, B. Ittersum, K. Painter, JE. Ice cream Illusions. Bowls, Spoons, and Self-Served Portion Sizes. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. September 2006Volume 31, Issue 3, Pages 240–243. http://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797%2806%2900179-6/abstract
- Wansink, Brian and Koert van Ittersum (2003). Bottoms Up! The Influence of Elongation and Pouring on Consumption Volume. Journal of Consumer Research, 30(3), 455–463. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/378621
- Hersch D, Perdue L, Ambroz T, Boucher JL. The Impact of Cooking Classes on Food-Related Preferences, Attitudes, and Behaviors of School-Aged Children: A Systematic Review of the Evidence, 2003–2014. Prev Chronic Dis 2014;11:140267. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd11.140267.
- Wolfson JA., Bleich SN. Is cooking at home associated with better diet quality or weight loss intention? Public Health Nutrition. Volume 18, Issue 08. June 2015, pp 1397-1406. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1368980014001943
- Sturm R. Ruopeng A. Obesity and economic environments. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. Volume 64, Issue 5, pages 337–350, September/October 2014. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3322/caac.21237/full
- Physical Activity. BRFSS Prevalence & Trends Data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last accessed March 30, 2016. http://nccd.cdc.gov/BRFSSPrevalence/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=DPH_BRFSS.ExploreByTopic&islClass=CLASS15&islTopic=Topic23&islYear=2014&go=GO
- Gardner, Meryl, Brian Wansink, Junyong Kim, and Se-Bum Park (2014). Better Moods for Better Eating?: How Mood Influences Food Choice. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 24(3), 320-335. doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2014.01.002. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1057740814000060
- Wansink, Brian and Aner Tal (2015). Television Watching and Effects on Food Intake- Reply. JAMA Internal Medicine. 175(3), 468-469. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.7880.
- Ferrier A. The Advertising Effect How to Change Behaviour. Oxford University Press; 1 edition (July 1, 2014).
- Popcorn image by Toshiyuki IMAI on FlickrCC, CC BY-SA 2.0.
- Ice cream image by Zechariah Judy on FlickrCC, CC BY 2.0.
- Runner by kablam on OpenClipArt, CC0 1.0.
- Candlelight dinner created by Christine Dobrowolski, modified from romantic dinner by liftarn on OpenClipArt, CC0 1.0.
Last updated April 7th, 2016