ISSN 0439-755X
CN 11-1911/B
主办:中国心理学会
   中国科学院心理研究所
出版:科学出版社

心理学报 ›› 2017, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (4): 513-525.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2017.00513

• 论文 • 上一篇    下一篇

重口味食物会使人变胖? ——咸味对食物热量感知的影响

周圆圆1; 陈 瑞2; 郑毓煌1   

  1. (1清华大学经济管理学院, 北京 100084) (2厦门大学新闻传播学院, 厦门 361005)
  • 收稿日期:2016-03-21 发布日期:2017-04-25 出版日期:2017-04-25
  • 通讯作者: 郑毓煌, E-mail: zhengyh@sem.tsinghua.edu.cn 陈瑞, E-mail: rc2015@xmu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:

    国家自然科学基金项目(71272027, 71472107和71602168), 中国博士后科学基金项目面上一等(2016M590599)资助。

Salty food brings obesity? The effect of saltiness on calorie estimation

ZHOU Yuanyuan1; CHEN Rui2; ZHENG Yuhuang1   

  1. (1 School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China) (2 School of Journalism and Communication, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China)
  • Received:2016-03-21 Online:2017-04-25 Published:2017-04-25
  • Contact: ZHENG Yuhuang, E-mail: zhengyh@sem.tsinghua.edu.cn CHEN Rui, E-mail: rc2015@xmu.edu.cn

摘要:

随着食品与健康越来越受社会的关注, 影响消费者对食物热量估计的因素也成为了营销学者感兴趣的问题。本文基于感官营销领域的联结理论, 首次探讨了与食物紧密相关的口味——咸味——对食物热量感知的影响, 4组实验表明咸味降低了个体对食物健康程度的感知, 从而提高了个体对食物热量的估计。实验1采用食物品尝任务发现了咸味提高食物热量估计的主效应。实验2选取普通大众样本, 检验了主效应的稳健性和外部效度, 同时发现感知健康程度的中介作用。实验3通过操纵对食盐健康与否的认知, 进一步验证了本文假设的理论机制。实验4发现有害品/有益品的调节作用, 对于有害品, 咸淡口味对食物热量估计的影响作用消失。

关键词: 食物热量, 咸味, 感知健康程度, 联结理论

Abstract:

Consumer’s calorie estimation plays an important role in food consumption choices. However, calorie estimation is often objective and biased based on many factors. One of the most important factors is saltiness. Hardly any studies exist to show the influence of saltiness on food consumption. While the association of saltiness and unhealthiness is obvious in daily life routines, it is very likely to have an effect on calorie estimation. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of saltiness on calorie estimation. We conducted four studies to examine our hypothesis. We adopted a laboratorial food taste task in study 1. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups (saltiness: strong vs. weak). They were asked to estimate the calorie content of the peanuts after eating them. The stimuli in two groups were the same except for the salt content. In order to examine the robustness of the effect among different age-groups and people from different regions, we enlarged our sampling to include young adults and elders, northerners and southerners in study 2. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups (saltiness: strong vs. weak) then they were shown a description of the type of food. Additionally, the mediating role of perceived healthiness is tested in study 2. We manipulated the healthy perception of salt in study 3 to test the mechanism indirectly. In the manipulated group, the participants were shown a report implying that salt could benefit us, while in the control group, the report showed that a smile was healthy. In study 4, we examined further the moderating role of food category as well as the mediating role of perceived healthiness in the effect of saltiness on calorie estimation with a 2 (saltiness: strong vs. weak) × 2 (food category: healthy vs. unhealthy) between subject design. Participants were randomly divided into 4 groups and showed a description of food (e.g., chips mixed with salt). In all studies, participants needed to estimate the calorie content of the food described. As predicted, we found that consumer’s estimation in calorie would significantly increase when food was saltier. The effect is robust among different age groups as well as participants from Southern China and Northern China. Nevertheless, when salt was primed to be a healthy element to our body, the increase of calorie estimation in saltier food no longer existed. Moreover, food categories played a moderating role. Consumers were more likely to overestimate the number of calories in saltier healthy food than in unhealthy ones. Furthermore, the results showed that participants perceived healthiness mediate the effect of saltiness in calorie estimation. As perceived healthiness increased, consumers’ estimation of calorie increased as well. The mediating effect existed only in healthy foods. These results enrich literature regarding calorie estimation. First, this study explored the field of taste in which it is the most related factor in food consumption. Secondly, it added the evidence that calorie estimation is irrational and easily biased due to salt itself contains zero calories. Third, we examined the perceived healthiness as a mechanism to the effect. Moreover, this study has shown some insight for companies. By making food products less salty, sales may increase not only because it may seem healthier to consumers but it may also cause consumers to underestimate the amount calorie intake.

Key words: calorie, saltiness, perceived healthiness, association theory