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Updated: May 28, 2026
04:56
Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
Published on: January 25, 2018
Learning to prefer the familiar in obesogenic environments
Leann L Birch1, Stephanie Anzman-Frasca
1The Center for Childhood Obesity Research, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Nestle Nutrition Workshop Series. Paediatric Programme
|November 3, 2011
Summary
Familiar foods are preferred, and associative learning can make new foods likable. Understanding food liking mechanisms can help promote healthier eating habits and reduce obesity risk.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Nutritional Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Food preferences are shaped by familiarity and associative learning.
- Infants possess innate taste predispositions, preferring sweet/salty and avoiding bitter/sour.
- Modern obesogenic environments exploit these predispositions with energy-dense, palatable foods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence on how familiarization and associative learning influence food liking.
- To explore the application of these learning principles in promoting healthier diets.
- To address the role of these mechanisms in the context of obesity risk.
Main Methods:
- Review of classic and current scientific literature.
- Analysis of psychological and nutritional science research.
- Examination of evidence on food preference formation and modification.
Main Results:
- Familiarity and repeated pairings with liked stimuli increase liking for new foods.
- Innate taste preferences, once adaptive, now contribute to unhealthy eating in modern diets.
- Early life exposure and associative learning significantly impact long-term food choices.
Conclusions:
- Learned food preferences, driven by familiarity and association, can lead to unhealthy diets.
- Knowledge of food liking mechanisms can be leveraged to encourage consumption of initially disliked healthy foods, like vegetables.
- Applying learning principles offers a strategy to combat obesity risk in obesogenic environments.
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