The adaptive eater: Perceived healthiness moderates the effect of the color red on consumption
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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in: Food Quality and Preference, Jahrgang 44, 01.09.2015, S. 172-178.
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The adaptive eater
T2 - Perceived healthiness moderates the effect of the color red on consumption
AU - Reutner, Leonie
AU - Genschow, Oliver
AU - Wänke, Michaela
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2015/9/1
Y1 - 2015/9/1
N2 - Previous studies suggest that the color red reduces food intake because it signals danger and hence acts as a consumption-stopping cue. We demonstrate that this effect cannot be generalized to just any kind of food. Consequently, we show that the color red-despite eliciting similar associations-affects behavior more strongly with regard to unhealthy (potentially harmful) food compared to healthy food. Specifically, the color red more strongly influenced the amount of unhealthy food intake (Study 1) and the choice of unhealthy food options (Study 2) compared to healthy food. Study 2 further demonstrated that the impact of color on behavior decreases gradually as food options become healthier. Moreover, the effect can be observed for subtle (Study 1) as well as salient (Study 2) color cues. These results suggest that consumers do not react in a generalized but in an adaptive way to the color red.
AB - Previous studies suggest that the color red reduces food intake because it signals danger and hence acts as a consumption-stopping cue. We demonstrate that this effect cannot be generalized to just any kind of food. Consequently, we show that the color red-despite eliciting similar associations-affects behavior more strongly with regard to unhealthy (potentially harmful) food compared to healthy food. Specifically, the color red more strongly influenced the amount of unhealthy food intake (Study 1) and the choice of unhealthy food options (Study 2) compared to healthy food. Study 2 further demonstrated that the impact of color on behavior decreases gradually as food options become healthier. Moreover, the effect can be observed for subtle (Study 1) as well as salient (Study 2) color cues. These results suggest that consumers do not react in a generalized but in an adaptive way to the color red.
KW - Color
KW - Consumption
KW - Food
KW - Healthiness
KW - Psychology
KW - Business psychology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84929454766&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.04.016
DO - 10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.04.016
M3 - Journal articles
AN - SCOPUS:84929454766
VL - 44
SP - 172
EP - 178
JO - Food Quality and Preference
JF - Food Quality and Preference
SN - 0950-3293
ER -