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Understanding overeating and obesity

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  • Ruhm, Christopher J.

Abstract

The combination of economic and biological factors is likely to result in overeating in the current environment of cheap and readily available food. This propensity is shown using a “dual decision” approach where choices reflect the interaction of a “deliberative” system, operating as in standard economic models, and an “affective” system that responds rapidly to stimuli without considering long-term consequences. This framework is characterized by excess food consumption and body weight, in that individuals prefer both ex-ante and ex-post to eat and weigh less than they actually do, with weight loss attempts being common but often unsuccessful or only partially successful. As in the standard model, weight is related to prices. However, another potentially important reason for rising obesity is that food producers have incentives to engineer products to stimulate the affective system so as to encourage overeating. Data from several sources are used to investigate predictions of the dual decision model, with the evidence providing broad support for at least some irrationality in food consumption. Most importantly, there is little indication that the large secular increases in body mass index have been accompanied by corresponding growth in utility-maximizing weight. One result is that efforts to reduce weight have become more common as obesity has increased.

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Journal of Health Economics.

Volume (Year): 31 (2012)
Issue (Month): 6 ()
Pages: 781-796

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Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:31:y:2012:i:6:p:781-796

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Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/505560

Related research

Keywords: Overeating; Obesity; BMI; Behavioral economics; Irrationality;

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References

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Cited by:
  1. Boris Augurzky & Thomas K. Bauer & Arndt R. Reichert & Christoph M. Schmidt & Harald Tauchmann, 2012. "Does Money Burn Fat? – Evidence from a Randomized Experiment," Ruhr Economic Papers 0368, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
  2. Guilhem Lecouteux, 2013. "Reconciling behavioural and neoclassical economics," Working Papers hal-00819763, HAL.
  3. Dhaval M. Dave & Inas Rashad Kelly, 2010. "How Does the Business Cycle Affect Eating Habits?," NBER Working Papers 16638, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  4. Strulik, Holger, 2012. "A Mass Phenomenon: The Social Evolution of Obesity," Diskussionspapiere der Wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Leibniz Universität Hannover dp-489, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät.
  5. Courtemanche, Charles & McAlvanah, Patrick & Heutel, Garth, 2011. "Impatience, Incentives, and Obesity," Working Papers 11-9, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Department of Economics, revised 28 Sep 2011.

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