The Incidental Influence of Memories of Past Eating Occasions on Consumers’ Emotional Responses to Food and Food-Related Behaviors

Abstract

Our memories of past eating experiences are influential in shaping food preferences and consumption behavior, and the emotions that people associate to these memories are linked to their attitudes toward foods and their everyday food-related behaviors. This work studies the impact that food-related memories have on peoples’ emotional state and how this state is projected in a subsequent evaluation of images pertaining to food and food-related behaviors. Focus is placed on guilt and shame emotions. Through an online survey, three memories were investigated (a positive meal, a routine evening meal, and an overeating occasion) among UK consumers (N = 710). Participants primed with the overeating memory evaluated images related to junk food as conveying more feelings of guilt and shame than did participants primed with the memory of a positive meal. Moreover, this effect was moderated by participants’ dietary restraint status. Participants classified as having a high dietary restraint had stronger associations with the emotions guilt and shame than participants classified as low in dietary restraint. In contrast, a memory of a positive meal did not lead to positive valuations of any of the food-related images shown. Overall, the findings from the present study illustrate the partial impact that personal food memories have on consumers’ emotional response toward food-related issues, which in turn has the potential to affect future behavior. This study therefore contributes to the literature about cognitive effects on food attitudes and behavior. Furthermore, the results suggest that the empirical approach may be tapping into possibly unconscious emotions toward foods and food-related behavior.

A Review of Socially Conducive Eating Environment

“…This evidence confirms the theory that people will remember events that touch their emotion positively, pleasantly, and arousing than those of not interesting ones [18]. Also, since previous research done by Fiszman and Jaeger [19] shows that past positive eating experience may give an implication to a future preference of food, the above evidence would be applied to support the need for regulating people's food liking or people's eating disorders. Furthermore, during the delivery of cooking knowledge and practice, it is highly possible that students would share emotion to each other how food is processed and tested to taste.…”

Food practices and their meanings in the daily routine of a university

“…The same type of testimony was found in the study carried out by interviewing 710 UK consumers, in which the consumption of unhealthy foods was associated with feelings of guilt and shame [19].…”

Disgust, Sadness, and Appraisal: Disgusted Consumers Dislike Food More Than Sad Ones

“…Moreover, guilt/shame, which is associated with feelings of distress from personal failure or transgressions, is likely to trigger the goal of reducing mindless or unethical behaviors ( Arli et al, 2016 ). Moreover, incidental guilt/shame (by retrieving memories of overeating) elicits stronger negative emotions in relation to junk foods and images of mindless eating behaviors than to other foods (salad and burnt foods) ( Piqueras-Fiszman and Jaeger, 2016 ). These studies indicate that discrete emotions correspond to specific appraisals and therefore shape subsequent product preferences in accordance with their respective functional goals.…”

“…Discrete emotions are associated with several appraisals potentially influencing product preferences in accordance with each appraisal-related goal. Although specific emotions involve several appraisal dimensions beyond valence (e.g., anticipated effort, certainty, attentional activity, and self-other responsibility) ( Smith and Ellsworth, 1985 ), previous studies have investigated how one appraisal among many can influence preferences for the appraisal-related products ( Raghunathan et al, 2006 ; Piqueras-Fiszman and Jaeger, 2016 ). Consumer goods can be categorized into different groups (e.g., foods and household products), which may be associated with differential appraisals, linked to a specific emotion (e.g., foods associated with a risk for contamination).…”

“…Actually, previous studies have shown that incidental disgust decreases preferences for consumer goods and foods ( Argo et al, 2006 ; Morales and Fitzsimons, 2007 ). Additionally, it has been shown that incidental sadness leads to increased consumption of foods viewed as indulgent ( Garg et al, 2007 ), and an increased value for consumer goods mediated by an elevated sense of helplessness ( Garg and Lerner, 2013 ). Together, it could be hypothesized that incidental disgust (as opposed to sadness) decreases preferences for goods to the same degree, regardless of the product type.…”