The Snacking Chameleon: Psychological Proximity Increases Imitation of Food Intake Independently of Brand Choice
Observing other people snacking can affect one’s own consumption behavior. The present experiment tested whether temporal distance moderates imitation of brand choice and the number of snacks consumed. Based on previous research demonstrating that psychological distance (e.g., temporal or...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-02-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/2/228 |
| _version_ | 1811315919063875584 |
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| author | Claudia Bischoff Leonie Reutner Jochim Hansen |
| author_facet | Claudia Bischoff Leonie Reutner Jochim Hansen |
| author_sort | Claudia Bischoff |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Observing other people snacking can affect one’s own consumption behavior. The present experiment tested whether temporal distance moderates imitation of brand choice and the number of snacks consumed. Based on previous research demonstrating that psychological distance (e.g., temporal or spatial distance) reduces imitation of movements, we hypothesized that participants would imitate the amount of food intake to a lesser degree when they temporally distance themselves from a model person. To test this idea, participants (<i>n</i> = 113) were asked to imagine their life either the next day (proximal condition) or in one year (distant condition). Next, participants watched a video clip depicting a model person who chose one of two brands of pretzels and ate either plenty or just a few of the pretzels. Then, participants chose one of the two brands of pretzels, served themselves as many of the pretzels as they liked, and ate them while filling in a tasting questionnaire. As expected, participants primed with proximity imitated snack intake more than participants primed with distance. The brand choice was not affected by self-distancing. Implications for snacking behavior are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T11:38:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ab956a1d547e41569171485b04b2e840 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T11:38:47Z |
| publishDate | 2020-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj.art-ab956a1d547e41569171485b04b2e8402022-12-22T02:48:21ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582020-02-019222810.3390/foods9020228foods9020228The Snacking Chameleon: Psychological Proximity Increases Imitation of Food Intake Independently of Brand ChoiceClaudia Bischoff0Leonie Reutner1Jochim Hansen2Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, AustriaDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, SwitzerlandDepartment of Psychology, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, AustriaObserving other people snacking can affect one’s own consumption behavior. The present experiment tested whether temporal distance moderates imitation of brand choice and the number of snacks consumed. Based on previous research demonstrating that psychological distance (e.g., temporal or spatial distance) reduces imitation of movements, we hypothesized that participants would imitate the amount of food intake to a lesser degree when they temporally distance themselves from a model person. To test this idea, participants (<i>n</i> = 113) were asked to imagine their life either the next day (proximal condition) or in one year (distant condition). Next, participants watched a video clip depicting a model person who chose one of two brands of pretzels and ate either plenty or just a few of the pretzels. Then, participants chose one of the two brands of pretzels, served themselves as many of the pretzels as they liked, and ate them while filling in a tasting questionnaire. As expected, participants primed with proximity imitated snack intake more than participants primed with distance. The brand choice was not affected by self-distancing. Implications for snacking behavior are discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/2/228imitationsocial modelingpsychological distancefood intakesnacking behavior |
| spellingShingle | Claudia Bischoff Leonie Reutner Jochim Hansen The Snacking Chameleon: Psychological Proximity Increases Imitation of Food Intake Independently of Brand Choice Foods imitation social modeling psychological distance food intake snacking behavior |
| title | The Snacking Chameleon: Psychological Proximity Increases Imitation of Food Intake Independently of Brand Choice |
| title_full | The Snacking Chameleon: Psychological Proximity Increases Imitation of Food Intake Independently of Brand Choice |
| title_fullStr | The Snacking Chameleon: Psychological Proximity Increases Imitation of Food Intake Independently of Brand Choice |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Snacking Chameleon: Psychological Proximity Increases Imitation of Food Intake Independently of Brand Choice |
| title_short | The Snacking Chameleon: Psychological Proximity Increases Imitation of Food Intake Independently of Brand Choice |
| title_sort | snacking chameleon psychological proximity increases imitation of food intake independently of brand choice |
| topic | imitation social modeling psychological distance food intake snacking behavior |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/2/228 |
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