Mindless Eating: The 200 Daily Food Decisions We Overlook

How aware are people of food-related decisions they make and how the environment influences these decisions? Study 1 shows that 139 people underestimated the number of food-related decisions they made—by an average of more than 221 decisions. Study 2 examined 192 people who overserved and overate 31...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environment and behavior 2007-01, Vol.39 (1), p.106-123
Main Authors: Wansink, Brian, Sobal, Jeffery
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
College Students
Consumption
Cues
Decision Making
Decisions
Diet
Eating
Eating Habits
Environment
Environmental Influences
Food
Food consumption
Foods
Health Behavior
Health behaviour
Human behaviour
Hunger
Influence
Meals
Nutrition
Obesity
Physical environment
Psychology
Social psychology
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:How aware are people of food-related decisions they make and how the environment influences these decisions? Study 1 shows that 139 people underestimated the number of food-related decisions they made—by an average of more than 221 decisions. Study 2 examined 192 people who overserved and overate 31% more food as a result of having been given an exaggerated environmental cue (such as a large bowl). Of those studied, 21% denied having eaten more, 75% attributed it to other reasons (such as hunger), and only 4% attributed it to the cue. These studies underscore two key points: First, we are aware of only a fraction of the food decisions we make. Second, we are either unaware of how our environment influences these decisions or we are unwilling to acknowledge it.
ISSN:0013-9165
1552-390X
DOI:10.1177/0013916506295573