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Can Smaller Meals Make You Happy? Behavioral, Neurophysiological, and Psychological Insights into Motivating Smaller Portion Choice

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  • Martin Reimann
  • Deborah MacInnis
  • Antoine Bechara

Abstract

Can smaller meals make you happy? Four studies show that offering consumers the choice between a full-sized food portion alone and a half-sized food portion paired with a small nonfood premium (e.g., a small Happy Meal toy or the mere possibility of winning frequent flyer miles) motivates smaller portion choice. Importantly, we investigate why this is the case and find that both food and the prospect of receiving a nonfood premium activate a common area of the brain (the striatum), which is associated with reward, desire, and motivation. Finally, we show that the choice results are mediated by a psychological desire for, but not by liking of, the premium. Notably, we find that choice of the smaller food portion is most pronounced when the probability of obtaining the premium is not disclosed compared to when the probability is disclosed or when the receipt of the same premium is stated as being certain. Taken together, motivating choice and consumption of less food may be successful if smaller portions are accompanied by an incentive.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Reimann & Deborah MacInnis & Antoine Bechara, 2016. "Can Smaller Meals Make You Happy? Behavioral, Neurophysiological, and Psychological Insights into Motivating Smaller Portion Choice," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 71-91.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jacres:doi:10.1086/684285
    DOI: 10.1086/684285
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    1. Brennan Davis & Collin R. Payne & My Bui, 2016. "Making Small Food Units Seem Regular: How Larger Table Size Reduces Calories to Be Consumed," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 115-124.
    2. Jacob Suher & Raj Raghunathan & Wayne D. Hoyer, 2016. "Eating Healthy or Feeling Empty? How the "Healthy = Less Filling" Intuition Influences Satiety," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 26-40.
    3. Kyra L Wiggin & Martin Reimann & Shailendra P Jain & Darren W Dahl & Margaret C Campbell & Paul M Herr, 2019. "Curiosity Tempts Indulgence," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 45(6), pages 1194-1212.
    4. Vivica Kraak & Tessa Englund & Sarah Misyak & Elena Serrano, 2017. "Progress Evaluation for the Restaurant Industry Assessed by a Voluntary Marketing-Mix and Choice-Architecture Framework That Offers Strategies to Nudge American Customers toward Healthy Food Environme," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-31, July.
    5. Koert van Ittersum & Brian Wansink, 2016. "The Behavioral Science of Eating: Encouraging Boundary Research That Has Impact," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 5-14.

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