Harm Veling Buying with brains: What determines our shopping choices 1 New year resolutions top 10 1) Lose weight and exercise more 2) Spend less money 3) Pay off debts 4) Spend more time with family and friends 5) Find a romantic partner 6) Quit smoking 7) Find a better job 8) Learning something new 9) Help others and do volunteer work 10) Better time-management 2 Changing intentions and education often do not change food choice Point-of-choice prompts Papies, E. K., & Veling, H. (2013). Healthy dining: Subtle diet reminders at the point of purchase increase low-calorie food choices among both chronic and current dieters. Appetite. Demos K E et al. J. Neurosci. 2012;32: Nucleus Accumbens The environment 6 Changing the environment 7 Changing the home environment 8 Keep counters clear of all foods but the healthy ones. Wansink, B. (2010). From mindless eating to mindlessly eating better. Physiology & Behavior, 100(5), Law of least effort 9 Canteens 10 Changing the environment does not change the brain Stronger eating simulations for high-energy food crispy salty tasty delicious birthday with drinks eat them together fat unhealthy green long grows on plant cheap healthy vitamins good in salad eat it cold How to create an impulsive choice? e.g., Strack & Deutsch, 2004 Product presentation Making fruit more attractive? Preference candy No difference between characters De Droog et al., 2011 Training impulsive choices GO! X STOP! Creating impulsive choices GO! Massive online training in the UK Chris Chambers; Cardiff Natalia Lawrence; Exeter : Summary Intentions are often unrelated to actual food choice Attention to the automatic and impulsive nature of food choice may change food choice: 1) Remind people about their goals and at the right moment 2) Make the (healthy) choice the impulsive choice Requires a combination of environmental interventions, psychological interventions and product innovations Thank you for your attention