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Eating Healthy Because I Enjoy It: Want-to Motivation Promotes Healthier Eating Through Perceived Tastiness of Healthy Foods

Slagell, Kenneth C
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5239-7300
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1593697461592019

Abstract Details

2020, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Psychology.
While effortful self-control can be useful in pursuing a goal to eat healthy, this is not the only path to self-regulatory success. By taking advantage of processes that can operate automatically and without effort, the process of self-regulation can be made easier (e.g., Fujita & Han, 2009). Past research has demonstrated that individuals high (vs. low) in want-to motivation toward the goal of eating healthy are more successful in self-regulation while putting in less effort (Milyavskaya et al., 2015), but the mechanisms underlying this easy success are not yet well understood. In two studies, we explore the role of taste perceptions of healthy foods as a potential mechanism through which want-to motivation could promote healthy eating. We also test the moderating role of imagery perspective (Libby & Eibach, 2011) on these processes. We found that high (vs. low) want-to individuals forecasted eating healthier foods, at least in part because they found healthy (vs. unhealthy) foods to be tasty. Results suggest that taste perceptions of healthy foods explain a considerable portion of the difference between individuals high and low in want-to motivation, and that learning to enjoy healthy foods—or seeking out enjoyable healthy foods—could be a route to success in pursuing a healthy eating goal. The moderating role of perspective on these processes was unclear but had no overall impact on the healthiness of eating forecasts made by high (vs. low) want-to individuals. We discuss how these results might generalize to other domains of self-regulation, and how finding enjoyment in pursuing a goal could have far-reaching implications in the processes of self-regulation.
Lisa K. Libby (Advisor)
Kentaro Fujita (Committee Member)
Russell H. Fazio (Committee Member)
101 p.
Psychology; Social Psychology
self-control; social psychology; intrinsic motivation; want-to motivation; dieting; healthiness; tastiness

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Slagell, K. C. (2020). Eating Healthy Because I Enjoy It: Want-to Motivation Promotes Healthier Eating Through Perceived Tastiness of Healthy Foods [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1593697461592019

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Slagell, Kenneth. Eating Healthy Because I Enjoy It: Want-to Motivation Promotes Healthier Eating Through Perceived Tastiness of Healthy Foods . 2020. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1593697461592019.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Slagell, Kenneth. "Eating Healthy Because I Enjoy It: Want-to Motivation Promotes Healthier Eating Through Perceived Tastiness of Healthy Foods ." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1593697461592019

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1593697461592019
204
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.