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Too gritty to indulge: Grit and indulgent food choices

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  • Wright, Scott A.
  • Schultz, Ainslie E.

Abstract

Grit—or perseverance in striving for long-term goals despite adversity, failure, and challenge (Duckworth et al., 2007)—has remained a focus in education and psychology for over a decade. Existing research, however, has yet to explore how grit might affect and guide consumption. In this article, we identify grit as an influential factor. Through one field study and three experiments, we reveal that individuals higher (vs. lower) in grit are less likely to choose and purchase indulgent foods. This occurs because individuals higher in grit perceive avoiding indulgent foods as more goal-relevant. However, changing the descriptive properties of the food using just-below (e.g., 199 vs. 200) calorie information can entice gritty consumers toward indulgence. Overall, these results show that grit impacts consumers’ product choices, and that businesses should consider grit when marketing and selling products that vary according to indulgence.

Suggested Citation

  • Wright, Scott A. & Schultz, Ainslie E., 2022. "Too gritty to indulge: Grit and indulgent food choices," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 173-183.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:139:y:2022:i:c:p:173-183
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.09.055
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