The experience of power could facilitate healthy food consumption

Abstract

Despite the many negative consequences of unhealthy eating, many people nevertheless give in to temptations in the form of unhealthy snacks and fail to consume healthy foods. Following the social distance theory of power, we argue that power plays an important role in prioritizing healthy-eating. Indeed, four studies showed that individuals’ sense of power was linked to them placing more importance on eating healthily and indirectly affected their willingness to pay for healthy and unhealthy food in line with their goal to eat healthily. Furthermore, this effect was evident in individuals who experienced greater power across different life situations, and less so among individuals in which the experience of power was situationally evoked. Our results contribute to a recent theoretical debate in the power literature about the role of power in goal pursuit and suggest that in the context of food consumption, superordinate goals are prioritized over immediate rewards.