关键词: 社会规范, 描述性规范, 命令性规范, 饮食行为, 性别角色

Abstract: This review advances a tripartite model—norm internalization → emotion activation → behavioral regulation—to explain how social norms shape women’s eating behaviors. Building on the focus theory of normative conduct, we distinguish descriptive norms (what others do) from injunctive norms (what ought to be done) and argue that their influence depends critically on attentional focus and the depth of internalization. Unlike previous fragmented accounts, our model specifies a continuous psychological pathway. First, norms transmitted through family, media, peers, and education are selectively attended to, interpreted, and either integrated into self-concept or rejected. When descriptive and injunctive norms conflict (e.g., family’s “eat more” vs. media’s “restrict calories”), cognitive dissonance, self-doubt, and anxiety arise, whereas consistent norms facilitate smooth internalization from “I must” to “I want”. Second, internalized norms become self-standards that trigger upward social comparisons, particularly under ubiquitous thin-ideal imagery on social media. This process generates body dissatisfaction, shame, and guilt—emotions that differentially motivate behavior: shame and guilt predominantly activate avoidance motivation (restrictive eating, food avoidance), while desire for social acceptance activates approach motivation (active conformity). The resulting “pleasure-guilt conflict” (reward from high-calorie foods followed by post-consumption shame) perpetuates a cycle of restriction and compensatory eating. Third, these motivational states translate into observable eating patterns through self-control and neuroendocrine mechanisms. Chronic normative stress dysregulates the hypothalamic‑pituitary‑adrenal axis, impairs prefrontal executive function, and sensitizes reward circuitry, predisposing women to oscillate between restrictive eating (which depletes self‑control resources) and loss‑of‑control eating. The moral licensing effect further explains why successful restraint sometimes leads to subsequent indulgence.
A key theoretical innovation is integrating attentional focus as the switch between norm types. When attention lands on descriptive norms, observational learning dominates; when it lands on injunctive norms, conformity to avoid social punishment prevails. However, when a norm is highly internalized and tied to social identity (e.g., “as a woman, I should eat lightly”), behavior becomes intrinsically motivated and resistant to external pressure changes. This model also incorporates neurophysiological evidence showing that social support modulates effective connectivity from insula to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, strengthening inhibitory control over food cues—a mechanism that can buffer against maladaptive eating.
Based on this integrated framework, we derive targeted intervention strategies. For descriptive norms, correcting normative misperceptions (e.g., overestimating peers’ unhealthy snacking) promotes healthier choices, but interventions must avoid the boomerang effect among already‑healthy individuals by using upward comparisons only with caution and adding positive identity affirmation. For injunctive norms, policy‑level tools (e.g., sugar taxes, school meal programs) effectively shift short‑term behavior, yet without internalization behaviors rebound when enforcement ends; effective applications combine choice architecture, taste optimization, and value education rather than pure coercion. Critically, building multi‑level social support systems—emotional, instrumental, and informational—not only buffers negative affect but also directly enhances prefrontal inhibitory control, helping women shift from passive compliance to autonomous healthy eating.
Finally, we situate the model in cultural context. In collectivist settings such as China, traditional values (filial piety, communal eating) intersect with modern thinness ideals and wellness culture, intensifying norm internalization but also exacerbating conflicts and emotional burdens. Emerging descriptive norms on social media showing men engaging in meal preparation may decouple dietary responsibility from female identity, offering new avenues for intervention. Future research should employ longitudinal and multi‑method designs to test the dynamic interplay among norms, emotions, and eating behaviors across cultures, and to explore how positive, autonomy‑supportive norms (e.g., body functionality, intuitive eating) can be amplified through prosocial modeling and identity affirmation. This review provides an integrative theoretical foundation for understanding and intervening in normative influences on women’s dietary practices.

Key words: social norms, descriptive norms, injunctive norms, dietary behavior, gender roles