The 'Calories-Must-Be-Bad' Bias: How the Belief That Calories Are Unhealthy Increases the Choice Share of Less Nutritious Options

• In Event: 6.9 How Biases and Sensory Stimuli Affect Food Enjoyment

Short Abstract

Consumers believe that calories are bad. However, they insufficiently realize that many nutritious foods also contain many calories. This results in a “calories-must-be-bad” bias which shifts calorie perceptions of unhealthy (healthy) foods upwards (downwards). This bias also reduces the perceived nutritional value and choice of more (versus less) nutritious options.

Authors

• Arnaud Monnier, Cornell University, USA

• Steven Sweldens, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

• Stefano Puntoni, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands