Awe and healthy eating among adolescents: Differential mechanisms and intervention strategies

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.2051

Acta Psychologica Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 58 ›› Issue (10): 2051-2068.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.2051

• Reports of Empirical Studies • Previous Articles Next Articles

Awe and healthy eating among adolescents: Differential mechanisms and intervention strategies

LI Xiaoming¹^,²^,³^,⁴, MENG Yuan¹, DING Daoqun¹^,²^,³^,⁴

¹Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
²Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
³Center of Cultural and Social Psychology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
⁴Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Changsha 410081, China

Published:2026-10-25 Online:2026-08-04
Contact: LI Xiaoming

Abstract

LI Xiaoming, MENG Yuan, DING Daoqun. (2026). Awe and healthy eating among adolescents: Differential mechanisms and intervention strategies. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 58(10), 2051-2068.

Figures/Tables 16

Figure 1. Overall research framework.

Figure 2 . Effects of emotion on healthy food choices in Study 1.
Note. Error bars represent ± 1 standard error of the mean. ^***p < 0.001, ^**p < 0.01, ^*p < 0.05. The same notation applies below.

Figure 3. Nature connectedness as mediator.

Figure 4. Construal level as mediator.

Table 1 Descriptive Statistics in Study 2a

Variable	Food attribute	Awe type
Variable	Food attribute	Positive nature awe	Non-nature awe
Food preference	Natural	5.02 ± 1.11	4.47 ± 1.36
Food preference	Artificial	4.12 ± 1.13	4.54 ± 1.09
Processing fluency	Natural	4.76 ± 1.11	4.32 ± 1.36
Processing fluency	Artificial	4.09 ± 1.14	4.54 ± 1.17

Figure 5. Effects of awe type and food attributes on healthy food preference in Study 2a.

Figure 6. The mediating role of processing fluency in Study 2a.

Table 2 Descriptive Statistics in Study 2b

Variable	Packaging color	Emotion
Variable	Packaging color	Positive nature awe	Neutral
Food preference	Natural	5.39 ± 1.13	4.26 ± 1.10
Food preference	Unnatural	4.40 ± 1.16	4.05 ± 0.96
WTP	Natural	8.88 ± 3.23	6.15 ± 3.01
WTP	Unnatural	6.68 ± 2.66	6.21 ± 2.92

Figure 7. Effects of emotion and packaging color on healthy food preference in Study 2b.

Figure 8. Effects of emotion and packaging color on WTP in Study 2b.

Table 3 Descriptive Statistics in Study 3a

Variable	Temporal framing	Awe type
Variable	Temporal framing	Positive nature awe	Non-nature awe
Food preference	Immediate	4.60 ± 1.41	4.13 ± 1.16
Food preference	Long-term	4.45 ± 1.28	4.97 ± 1.09
Processing fluency	Immediate	4.26 ± 1.36	3.79 ± 1.28
Processing fluency	Long-term	4.07 ± 1.35	4.50 ± 1.21

Figure 9. Effects of awe type and temporal framing on healthy food preference in Study 3a.

Figure 10. The mediating role of processing fluency in Study 3a.

Table 4 Descriptive Statistics in Study 3b

Variable	Spatial framing	Emotion
Variable	Spatial framing	Non-nature awe	Neutral
Food preference	Close-up	5.15 ± 1.11	5.05 ± 1.30
Food preference	Distant	5.68 ± 1.09	4.85 ± 1.61
WTP	Close-up	11.73 ± 4.34	11.18 ± 4.55
WTP	Distant	13.83 ± 4.51	10.60 ± 4.33

Figure 11. Effects of emotion and spatial framing on healthy food preference in Study 3b.

Figure 12. Effects of emotion and spatial framing on WTP in Study 3b.

Awe and healthy eating among adolescents: Differential mechanisms and intervention strategies

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