The Psychology Of Food Choice

The Psychology of Food Choice

One of the central problems in nutrition is the difficulty of getting people to change their dietary behaviours so as to bring about an improvement in health. What is required is a clearer understanding of the motivations of consumers, barriers to changing diets and how we might have an impact upon dietary behaviour. This book brings together theory, research and applications from psychology and behavioural sciences applied to dietary behaviour. The authors are all international leaders in their respective fields and together give an overview of the current understanding of consumer food choice.

Towards a Psychology of Food Choice

Social Influences on Eating

This book examines how the social environment affects food choices and intake, and documents the extent to which people are unaware of the significant impact of social factors on their eating. The authors take a unique approach to studying eating behaviors in ordinary circumstances, presenting a theory of normal eating that highlights social influences independent of physiological and taste factors. Among the topics discussed: Modeling of food intake and food choice Consumption stereotypes and impression management Research design, methodology, and ethics of studying eating behaviors What happens when we overeat? Effects of social eating Social Influences on Eating is a useful reference for psychologists and researchers studying food and nutritional psychology, challenging commonly held assumptions about the dynamics of food choice and intake in order to promote a better understanding of the power of social influence on all forms of behavior.