Dive Summary:
- In the journal Psychological Science, new research has been published showing consumers increase their high-calorie food intake by up to 40% when 'times are tough.'
- The researchers found that when consumers are subliminally bombarded with messages of economic hardship and austerity, a 'live for today' impulse is generated, thus diets tend to break and belts tend to loosen.
- Additionally, when consumers were told an item was low calorie, the study showed they tended to eat 25% less of it then full calorie alternatives.
From the article:
Loran and hits team added that when the consumers primed with the ‘tough times’ messages were then told
the food they were sampling was low-calorie, they consumed roughly 25% less of it.
"It is clear from the studies that taste was not what caused the reactions, it was a longing for calories,"
explained Laran.
"These findings could have positive implications for individuals in the health care field, government campaigns on nutrition, and companies promoting wellness,” he said. “And, certainly beware of savvy food marketers bearing bad news."
