Applying Optimal Foraging to Young Adult Decision-Making after Food Advertising Exposure

Factors influencing the visual deliciousness / eye-appeal of food

“…Ambient lighting has also been shown to alter the consumer's motivational responses (e.g., meaning their desire to acquire/consume the food) to advertisements for foods of different energetic value (Bailey, Wang, & Liu, 2021a). The ambient lighting levels in those places where food images are viewed may also influence the viewer's motivation to acquire the food, as well as their preference for energy-dense foods (which is apparently higher in those environments that are bright; see also Bailey, 2015Bailey, , 2016Bailey et al, 2021b; though see Biswas, Szocs, Chacko, & Wansink, 2017;Chan, 2022, for results suggesting that lighter environments may actually encourage healthier food choices instead).…”

Primary Biological Motivators in Food Advertisements: Energy Density and Sexual Appeals Compete for Appetitive Motivational Activation

“…Furthermore, the energy content of foods is highly influential. When highly energy dense (i.e., greater energy content per gram) food cues shared some perceptual characteristics of the food, food items were selected for eating faster than less energy dense foods and more energy dense foods without available cues (Bailey, Wang, & Liu, 2018).…”

“…For this reason, organisms tend to show a preference for more energy dense high fat, high sugar foods (Drewnowski, 1997; Toepel, Knebel, Hudry, le Coutre, & Murray, 2009), especially when they are easily obtained. Energy dense foods speed human information processing (Harrar, Toepel, Murray, & Spence, 2011) and motivated decision making (Bailey, Wang, & Liu, 2018) and activate brain areas important for identifying motivational relevance (Killgore et al, 2003; Toepel et al, 2009). When individuals need to replenish their energy stores, energy dense foods are even more preferred (Stoeckel, Cox, Cook, & Weller, 2007).…”