Study 2
Positive versus negative mood Better moods for better eating?: How mood influences food choice.
(Gardner et al. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2014;24(3):320–335)
Aim: To study differential effects of positive mood and negative mood on food choice
Outcome: healthy or indulgent food?
Participants: 315 undergraduate students. 2 groups: positive mood group and negative one.
Participants' moods were manipulated through two simple stories. In the positive story focal character’s efforts were successful, whereas in the negative story he/she died tragically.
Participants were then asked to rate simple print advertisements of target foods on taste, sensory experience, nutrition, and health dimension.
Results: individuals in a negative mood like indulgent foods more than healthy foods. Adoption in bad mood of a proximal perspective can explain this preference. People in a negative mood put more weight on immediate concrete rewards of food, through taste and sensory experience, than on nutrition and health benefits.
Own perspective is closely related to mood state and influences our point of view in daily activities such as foods choice. For this reason it’s important to consider temporal distance and individual mental representation of future events (temporal construal) in food and mood relationship evaluation. Discover Study 3 on temporal construal.
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Gardner MP et al. Better moods for better eating?: How mood influences food choice. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2014;24(3):320–335