The Psychology of Desire and Implications for Healthy Hydration

This article discusses the cognitive mechanisms underlying the motivation to consume sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and outlines implications for developing healthy hydration habits. While the detrimental health consequences of consuming SSBs are well understood, the psychological processes underlying the motivation to consume them are understudied. To address this gap, the current article applies a grounded cognition theory of desire and motivated behaviour, which can be used as a framework to understand and potentially change the motivation for SSBs and healthier alternatives, such as water. The grounded cognition theory of desire argues that people represent foods and drinks through potentially rewarding simulations, or re-experiences, of consuming them. These simulations, in turn, can increase desire and motivated behaviour. In line with this theory, research on eating behaviour shows that people think about attractive food in terms of what it feels like to eat it and in terms of relevant eating situations and that these simulations predict the desire to eat. Similarly, emerging research on SSBs shows that people represent these beverages in terms of the sensory and rewarding experiences of drinking them, more so than water, and especially if they consume them often. These simulations, in turn, predict the desire for sugary drinks and actual consumption. This has implications for attempts to increase healthy hydration: in order to facilitate healthy choices, the immediate pleasure to be gained from consuming a healthy beverage should be emphasized, rather than its long-term benefits. Repeatedly facilitating healthy drink choices in similar situations can ultimately contribute to the development of healthy hydration habits.