Game day guilt: how ingroup affiliation and identity threat influence indulgent food choices among sport fans

This research investigates the extent to which ingroup-related cues can reduce anticipatory guilt associated with indulgent foods and examines the mechanisms behind this reduction. In two experiments, participants were shown images of unhealthy foods against either a neutral grey background (control) or a background featuring their university/team colors (team color foods). Experiment 1, conducted online, found that exposure to team color foods reduced guilt, leading to an increased preference for unhealthy foods. However, Experiment 2, conducted in a lab setting, revealed that this effect diminished when participants experienced an identity threat, resulting in decreased preferences for unhealthy foods. These findings suggest that ingroup cues subtly encourage unhealthy food consumption among sport fans. These findings offer valuable insights for sport marketers and policymakers on the role of group cues, emphasizing the need for careful consideration when integrating such cues in health promotion campaigns, given their potential to unintentionally promote unhealthy behaviors.