The virtue of variety: More options can lead to healthier menu choices

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Public release date: 15-Dec-2008

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/uocp-tvo121508.php

Contact: -Ann Twist

JCR@...

University of Chicago Press Journals

The virtue of variety: More options can lead to healthier choices

Could longer menus lead people to choose salads over French fries?

According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, people who

choose from a large variety of menu items are more likely to make

healthy choices than people who choose from shorter lists.

In a study that looked at the impact of assortment size on consumer

selections, authors Aner Sela (Stanford University), Jonah Berger

(University of Pennsylvania), and Liu (UCLA) examined the way

consumers justify their choices. " Because choosing from larger

assortments is often more difficult, it leads people to select options

that are easier to justify. Virtuous and utilitarian necessities are

generally easier to justify than indulgences. Consequently, people faced

with a larger menu might be more likely to take the garden salad over

the pepperoni pizza or the reduced-fat strawberry ice cream over the

double chocolate mocha crunch, " write the authors.

In the first experiment, the researchers asked participants to choose

from pictures of ice cream flavors, some low-fat and others regular. The

group that chose from a larger assortment chose low-fat ice cream more

often. Likewise, when participants could help themselves to trays of

cookies and fruit, more people took fruit from a larger assortment than

from a smaller assortment (76 percent vs. 55 percent). The results held

firm when the choice was between a computer printer or an mp3 player.

Interestingly, the results of the experiments changed when participants

found ways to justify their indulgences. " While healthier or more

virtuous options tend to be easier to justify in general, situational

factors can provide accessible justifications to indulge, " write the

authors.

" For example, exerting a great deal of effort on a math test can provide

people with an accessible 'excuse' to reward themselves. Similarly,

people who commit to a volunteering activity may feel they have 'earned'

the right to indulge…Thus, assortment size influences option choice, but

the specific type of option people will choose will depend on accessible

justifications. "

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Aner Sela, Jonah Berger, and Liu. " Variety, Vice, and Virtue: How

Assortment Size Influences Option Choice. " Journal of Consumer Research:

April 2009.

--

ne Holden, MS, RD

" Ask the Parkinson Dietitian " http://www.parkinson.org/

" Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease "

" Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy "

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