Comparative optimism about healthy eating

Comparative optimism about healthy eating.

The present study investigated people's perception of their own as compared to their peers' healthy eating and related these perceptions to actual healthy eating, BMI, and subsequent healthy eating behavior. Data were collected within the framework of the longitudinal cohort study Konstanz Life Study (T1: N = 770; T2: N = 510). Our results demonstrated an optimistic bias on the group level. Spe...

Adolescents’ Perceptions of Healthy Eating and Communication about Healthy Eating

Healthy eating: clarifying advice about fruit and vegetables.

Consumers need health information which is clear and unambiguous. Advice to "eat more fruit and vegetables" gives consumers no guidance on the quantities involved. Popular advice is to eat "five portions a day." This paper provides a rationale for determining which foods are included within this advice--for example, processed foods such as baked beans are but potatoes and nuts should not be. It...

(Too) optimistic about optimism: the belief that optimism improves performance.

A series of experiments investigated why people value optimism and whether they are right to do so. In Experiments 1A and 1B, participants prescribed more optimism for someone implementing decisions than for someone deliberating, indicating that people prescribe optimism selectively, when it can affect performance. Furthermore, participants believed optimism improved outcomes when a person's ac...

A "Healthy" Color: Information About Healthy Eating Attenuates the "Red Effect".

The influence of the color red on our evaluative processes and psychological, emotional, and cognitive decision making is known as the "red effect." The present study tested the hypothesis that this "red effect" could be attenuated by information about the healthfulness of an individual's diet. To test this hypothesis 122 participants rated the attractiveness and healthfulness of a picture of t...