The Impact of Nostalgia on Consumers' Choice between Hedonic and Utilitarian Products

怀旧激发个体对感觉探索的需求,进而在选择享乐品与实用品的消费决策中倾向采用感性的决策方式而偏好享乐品。本文采用五组研究对理论假设进行了检验。研究一、研究二和研究三使用不同的怀旧操纵和享乐品实用品选择/评价情景,发现怀旧促进消费者对享乐品的偏好;研究四检验了感性决策方式在怀旧对享乐品和实用品选择影响中的中介机制;研究五发现怀旧对享乐品和实用品选择的影响作用仅对低理性决策方式的个体存在,对高理性决策方式的个体该作用消失。国家自然科学基金项目(71272027、71472107、71602168)资

Salty food brings obesity The effect of saltiness on calorie estimation

随着食品与健康越来越受社会的关注, 影响消费者对食物热量估计的因素也成为了营销学者感兴趣的问题。本文基于感官营销领域的联结理论,; 首次探讨了与食物紧密相关的口味--咸味--对食物热量感知的影响, 4组实验表明咸味降低了个体对食物健康程度的感知,; 从而提高了个体对食物热量的估计。实验1采用食物品尝任务发现了咸味提高食物热量估计的主效应。实验2选取普通大众样本,; 检验了主效应的稳健性和外部效度, 同时发现感知健康程度的中介作用。实验3通过操纵对食盐健康与否的认知,; 进一步验证了本文假设的理论机制。实验4发现有害品/有益品的调节作用, 对于有害品, 咸淡口味对食物热量估计的影响作用消失。Consumer's calorie estimation plays an important role in food; consumption choices. However, calorie estimation is often objective and; biased based on many factors. One of the most important factors is; saltiness. Hardly any studies exist to show the influence of saltiness; on food consumption. While the association of saltiness and; unhealthiness is obvious in daily life routines, it is very likely to; have an effect on calorie estimation. The purpose of this study is to; examine the effect of saltiness on calorie estimation. We conducted four; studies to examine our hypothesis. We adopted a laboratorial food taste; task in study 1. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups; (saltiness: strong vs. weak). They were asked to estimate the calorie; content of the peanuts after eating them. The stimuli in two groups were; the same except for the salt content. In order to examine the robustness; of the effect among different age-groups and people from different; regions, we enlarged our sampling to include young adults and elders,; northerners and southerners in study 2. Participants were randomly; assigned into two groups (saltiness: strong vs. weak) then they were; shown a description of the type of food. Additionally, the mediating; role of perceived healthiness is tested in study 2. We manipulated the; healthy perception of salt in study 3 to test the mechanism indirectly.; In the manipulated group, the participants were shown a report implying; that salt could benefit us, while in the control group, the report; showed that a smile was healthy. In study 4, we examined further the; moderating role of food category as well as the mediating role of; perceived healthiness in the effect of saltiness on calorie estimation; with a 2 (saltiness: strong vs. weak) * 2 (food category: healthy vs.; unhealthy) between subject design. Participants were randomly divided; into 4 groups and showed a description of food (e.g., chips mixed with; salt). In all studies, participants needed to estimate the calorie; content of the food described. As predicted, we found that consumer's; estimation in calorie would significantly increase when food was; saltier. The effect is robust among different age groups as well as; participants from Southern China and Northern China. Nevertheless, when; salt was primed to be a healthy element to our body, the increase of; calorie estimation in saltier food no longer existed. Moreover, food; categories played a moderating role. Consumers were more likely to; overestimate the number of calories in saltier healthy food than in; unhealthy ones. Furthermore, the results showed that participants; perceived healthiness mediate the effect of saltiness in calorie; estimation. As perceived healthiness increased, consumers' estimation of; calorie increased as well. The mediating effect existed only in healthy; foods. These results enrich literature regarding calorie estimation.; First, this study explored the field of taste in which it is the most; related factor in food consumption. Secondly, it added the evidence that; calorie estimation is irrational and easily biased due to salt itself; contains zero calories. Third, we examined the perceived healthiness as; a mechanism to the effect. Moreover, this study has shown some insight; for companies. By making food products less salty, sales may increase; not only because it may seem healthier to consumers but it may also; cause consumers to underestimate the amount calorie intake.国家自然科学基金项目; 中国博士后科学基金项目面上一