In an intriguing series of studies published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, researchers have discovered a counterintuitive phenomenon: advertisements showcasing people indulging in junk food may actually inspire those on a diet to eat less.
This revelation aligns with prior research in mental imagery, which indicates that simply visualizing actions or emotions can activate similar brain networks as actually performing or experiencing them.
For instance, seeing someone being hit by a hammer can activate our brain’s pain-related neural networks, eliciting pain-associated emotions and behaviors.
In the realm of food consumption, this concept extends to what’s known as consumption imagery. This involves vivid depictions of food consumption, like close-up shots of someone eating a pizza in an ad.
Surprisingly, such imagery can even lead people to falsely remember having eaten the food shown, influencing their feeling of fullness.
One study by researchers at the Grenoble Ecole de Management tested this by asking participants to imagine eating varying quantities of M&M’s.
Those who visualized consuming more M&M’s reported feeling more satiated and subsequently ate fewer actual sweets.
The researchers further explored this phenomenon by showing dieting students different types of M&M’s advertisements, one with consumption imagery and the other without.
The students exposed to the ad with consumption imagery ate fewer M&M’s than those who saw the ad without it.
Another study involved students visualizing either eating or filming a hamburger, followed by an opportunity to eat chocolate-coated biscuit sticks.
Those who imagined eating the hamburger ate fewer sticks compared to those who imagined filming it.
These findings suggest that simply witnessing the consumption of junk food, whether directly or through imagery, can momentarily reduce the appetite for such foods in dieters.
Interestingly, this research also points towards a novel approach for healthy eating campaigns.
Rather than focusing solely on images of healthy foods, campaigns incorporating unhealthy consumption imagery might be more effective in encouraging diet moderation.
For example, a study involving 594 American adults found that those who imagined eating French fries were less inclined to consume potato chips than those who visualized eating an apple.
This research challenges conventional public policy practices around healthy eating promotion and suggests that incorporating imagery of junk food consumption could be a strategic move.
It taps into the psychological association dieters make between junk food and the failure to achieve weight loss goals.
The takeaway for individuals committed to healthier eating is somewhat unconventional: instead of avoiding tempting food ads, engaging with them and imagining consuming the featured foods might actually help in reducing unhealthy eating habits.
This fascinating intersection of psychology and marketing offers a fresh perspective on how visual and mental engagement with food can impact our eating behaviors.
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