I’ll Have What She’s Having: Effects of Social Influence and Body Type on the Food Choices of Others

This research examines how the body type of consumers affects the food consumption of other consumers around them. We find that consumers anchor on the quantities others around them select but that these portions are adjusted according to the body type of the other consumer. We find that people choo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of consumer research 2010-04, Vol.36 (6), p.915-929
Main Authors: McFerran, Brent, Dahl, Darren W., Fitzsimons, Gavan J., Morales, Andrea C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Body mass index
Candies
Consumer research
Consumers
Consumption
Focalism
Food
Food consumption
Human body
Influence
Obesity
Product choice
Social influence
Somatotypes
Studies
We they distinction
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Summary:This research examines how the body type of consumers affects the food consumption of other consumers around them. We find that consumers anchor on the quantities others around them select but that these portions are adjusted according to the body type of the other consumer. We find that people choose a larger portion following another consumer who first selects a large quantity but that this portion is significantly smaller if the other is obese than if she is thin. We also find that the adjustment is more pronounced for consumers who are low in appearance self‐esteem and that it is attenuated under cognitive load.
ISSN:0093-5301
1537-5277
DOI:10.1086/644611