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Cited by 150Decision-Making and Behavioral EconomicsBehavioral Health and InterventionsConsumer Attitudes and Food Labeling

Health on impulse: When low self-control promotes healthy food choices

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Salmon, Stefanie J., Fennis, Bob M., de Ridder, Denise T. D., Adriaanse, Marieke A., de Vet, Emely·2014·Health Psychology
DOI 10.1037/a0031785
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Food choices are often made mindlessly, when individuals are not able or willing to exert self-control. Under low self-control, individuals have difficulties to resist palatable but unhealthy food products. In contrast to previous research aiming to foster healthy choices by promoting high self-control, this study exploits situations of low self-control, by strategically using the tendency under these conditions to rely on heuristics (simple decision rules) as quick guides to action. More specifically, the authors associated healthy food products with the social proof heuristic (i.e., normative cues that convey majority endorsement for those products). METHOD: One hundred seventy-seven students (119 men), with an average age of 20.47 years (SD = 2.25) participated in the experiment. This study used a 2 (low vs. high self-control) × 2 (social proof vs. no heuristic) × 2 (trade-off vs. control choice) design, with the latter as within-subjects factor. The dependent variable was the number of healthy food choices in a food-choice task. RESULTS: In line with previous studies, people made fewer healthy food choices under low self-control. However, this negative effect of low self-control on food choice was reversed when the healthy option was associated with the social proof heuristic. In that case, people made more healthy choices under conditions of low self-control. CONCLUSION: Low self-control may be even more beneficial for healthy food choices than high self-control in the presence of a heuristic. Exploiting situations of low self-control is a new and promising method to promote health on impulse.

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Authors
Salmon, S. J., Fennis, B. M., de Ridder, D. T. D., Adriaanse, M. A., & de Vet, E.
Affiliations
  • University of Groningen (NL)
  • Utrecht University (NL)
ORCID
Venue
Health Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2014-02
Volume
33
Issue
2
Pages
103-109
ISSN
  • 0278-6133 (ISSN-L)
  • 1930-7810
DOI
10.1037/a0031785
OpenAlex
W2496520395
Cited by
150
References
37
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 6
FWCI
8.19
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
other-oa
Locations
  • Health Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion)
  • University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (115100002)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling
Keywords
low self-control, healthy food choices, heuristics, impulse buying, food choice
MeSH terms
Affect, Analysis of Variance, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Choice Behavior, Decision Making, Female, Food Preferences, Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Inhibition, Psychological, Male, Netherlands, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Control, Informal, Students, Health Behavior, Young Adult

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