Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2025

Fat Preference: A Novel Model of Eating Behavior in Rats
Published on: June 27, 2014
Effects of busy mindset on preference for high-calorie foods
1School of Business Administration, Shandong Management University, Jinan, China.
Abstract:
More people feel busier than ever. Recognising busyness as an environmental factor that influences food preferences is essential when considering health-related decisions. This research investigates how the subjective perception of busyness-which is referred to as a busy mindset-affects consumers' food preferences via two studies. Study 1 was a laboratory experiment conducted using a manipulation method with 135 undergraduate student participants. Study 2 used an online self-report questionnaire to repeat the findings of Study 1 and including 209 social participants. The results from the two studies showed that a busy mindset induced individuals to prefer high-calorie foods, and energy expenditure efficiency mediated this effect. Moreover, the subjective perception of busyness increased individuals' estimated need for calories and induced them to prefer high-calorie foods over high-nutrition or hedonic foods. These findings suggest that food preferences in the busy mindset have potential implications for individuals' food consumption.
Related Concept Videos
Confirmation Biases
The Availability Heuristic
Regulation of Food Intake
Decision Making
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Obesity

