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HEALTHY CHOICES: WHY PSYCHOLOGY AND THE BRAIN

PLAY A VITAL ROLE

Rachel Evans. MSc. MBPsS.

[email protected]

HEALTHY CHOICES

• Apple vs Cake (dichotomous choice)

• 1 slice of cake vs multiple (portion control)

• ‘80:20 rule’ (frequency)

29/11/2017 © The University of Sheffield

HEALTHY CHOICES

• Fruit and vegetables

• High nutrient dense

• Low calorie

• Junk food / processed

• Low nutrient dense

• High calorie


DO YOU MAKE PER DAY?

A) 15

B) 226

C) 157


HOW MANY FOOD CHOICES

DO YOU MAKE PER DAY?


HOW MANY FOOD CHOICES

226

‘Monkey Brain’ (system 1) • Developed early in evolution; limbic system

• Controls automatic and instinctive responses

• Executes familiar routines / habits

• Acts on emotion

• Seeks immediate pleasure

• Fast and effortless responses

Dual process model - Strack & Deutsch, 2004

‘Monkey Brain’ (system 1) • Developed early in evolution; limbic system

• Controls automatic and instinctive responses

• Executes familiar routines / habits

• Acts on emotion

• Seeks immediate pleasure

• Fast and effortless responses

‘Rational Brain’ (system 2) • Functioning of the cerebral cortex

• Controls rational and logical thought

• Capable of abstract thinking

• Sense of choice and control

• Can set intentions and plan for long-term goals

• Slow and effortful responses

Dual process model - Strack & Deutsch, 2004

Goal: To eat healthily

1 - Preference for immediate rewards

2 - Tastiness automatically captures attention

3 - Failure to recognise self-control dilemmas


WHY DO WE MAKE UNHEALTHY FOOD CHOICES?


1- PREFERENCE FOR IMMEDIATE REWARDS

The ability to delay gratification and a preference for

future rewards is related to BMI, intentions, and healthy

food choices (Amlung et al., 2016; Barlow et al., 2016; Evans et

al., 2017 ; Mischel, 2015).


2- TASTINESS CAPTURES ATTENTION AUTOMATICALLY

Data from mouse tracking and eye- tracking studies

suggests that tastiness is processed faster than

healthfulness (Motoki et al, in press; Sullivan et al., 2015).


3- FAILURE TO RECOGNISE SELF-CONTROL DILEMMAS

Detecting a conflict between our desires and long term

goals is important to trigger self-control efforts (De Ridder

et al., 2012; Van der Laan et al., 2014).


IMPLICATIONS

• Implement strategies to avoid temptations

when faced with an immediate reward

• Focus on the immediate benefits of healthy

choices (e.g. de Bruijn & Budding, 2016)

• Decide to eat unhealthy options some other

time (Mead & Patrick, 2016)

• Develop If-Then plans (Adriaanse et al., 2011; Vilá et al.,

2017)


INTERVENTIONS

• Mindfulness to reduce reactivity to food

cues (Keesman et al., 2017; Marchiori & Papies, 2014)

• Cognitive defusion (Moffitt et al., 2012 ; Jenkins &

Tapper, 2014)

HEALTHY CHOICES!

• Food history / past experiences

• Education

• Cooking skills + self efficacy

• Availability of healthy options

• Perceived cost, time + effort

• Motivation

• Self-control processes

• Environmental cues


MORE BARRIERS TO

• System 1 (Monkey brain)

+ System 2 (Rational brain)

• Why do we make unhealthy choices? 1 - Preference for immediate rewards

2 - Tastiness automatically captures attention

3 - Failure to recognise self-control dilemmas

• Implications; to make healthier choices we

need to break the automatic link between

unhealthy food and consumption behaviour


SUMMARY

HEALTHY CHOICES: WHY PSYCHOLOGY AND THE BRAIN

PLAY A VITAL ROLE

Rachel Evans. MSc. MBPsS.

[email protected]

twitter: @healthyandpsych


REFERENCES (ARTICLES)

Adriaanse, M. A., Vinkers, C. D. W., De Ridder, D. T., Hox, J. J., & De Wit, J. B.F.

(2011). Do implementation intentions help to eat a healthy diet? A systematic review and

meta-analysis of the empirical evidence. Appetite, 56, 183–193

Barlow, P., Reeves, A., McKee, M., Galea, G., & Stuckler, D. (2016). Unhealthy

diets, obesity and time discounting: a systematic literature review and network analysis.

Obesity Reviews, 9, 810–819

Evans, R., Norman, P., & Webb T. L. (2017). Using Temporal Self-Regulation Theory to

understand healthy and unhealthy eating intentions and behaviours, Appetite, 116, 357-364.

Jenkins, K. T., & Tapper, K. (2014). Resisting chocolate temptation using a brief

mindfulness strategy. British Journal of Health Psychology, 19, 509–522.

Keesman, M., Aarts, H., Häfner, M. & Papies, E. K. (2017) Mindfulness reduces

reactivity to food cues: underlying mechanisms and applications in daily life. Current

Addiction Reports, 4, 151-157.

Marchiori, D. and Papies, E. K. (2014) A brief mindfulness intervention reduces

unhealthy eating when hungry, but not the portion size effect. Appetite, 75, 40-45.

Mead, N. L., & Patrick, V. M. (2016). The Taming of Desire: Unspecific Postponement

Reduces Desire for and Consumption of Postponed Temptations. Journal of Personality and

Social Psychology, 110, 20–35.

Moffitt, R., Brinkworth, G., Noakes, M., & Mohr, P. (2012). A comparison of cognitive

restructuring and cognitive defusion as strategies for resisting a craved food. Psychology

and Health, 27, 74-90.


Motoki, K., Saito, T., Nouchi, R., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (In Press). Tastiness

but not healthfulness captures automatic visual attention: Preliminary evidence from an eye-

tracking study. Food Quality and Preference.

de Bruijn, G-J., & Budding, J. (2016) Temporal consequences, message framing, and

consideration of future consequences: Persuasion effects on adult fruit intake intention and

resolve. Journal of Health Communication, 21:8.

de Ridder, D. T., Lensvelt-Mulders, G., Finkenauer, C., Stok, M., & Baumeister, R. F.

(2012). Taking stock of self-control: A meta-analysis of how trait self-control relates to a wide

range of behaviours. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 16, 76-99.

Strack, F., & Deutsch, R. (2004). Reflective and impulsive determinants of social

behavior. Personality & Social Psychology Review, 8, 220-247

Sullivan, N., Hutcherson, C., Harris, A., & Rangel, A. (2015). Dietary self-control is

related to the speed with which attributes of healthfulness and tastiness are processed.

Psychological Science, 26, 122– 134.

Van der Laan, L. N., de Ridder, D. T. D., Charbonnier, L., Viergever, M. A., & Smeets, P.

A. M. (2014). Sweet lies: neural, visual, and behavioral measures reveal a lack of self-control

conflict during food choice in weight-concerned women. Front Behavioral Neuroscience, 8:

184.

Vilá, I., Carrero, I., & Redondo, R. (2017). Reducing fat intake using implementation

intentions: A meta-analytic review. British Journal of Health Psychology, 22, 281-294

Wansink, B., & Sobal, J. (2007). Mindless Eating: The 200 daily food decisions we

overlook. Environment and Behavior, 39, 106-123.


REFERENCES (BOOKS)

Mischel, W. (2015) The Marshmallow Test: Understanding Self-Control and How to

Master It. Corgi: Croydon, UK.

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