Diet Congruent Primes – Are They Effective? The Effects of Food Priming on Restrained Eaters’ Food Consumption

This study examined the impact of healthy and unhealthy primes on the food choice of restrained and unrestrained eaters. Based on a literature review it was hypothesized that restrained eaters would be more susceptible to healthy primes. The reason for this hypothesis was that healthy primes would serve as a reminder of their diet and therefore promote healthy eating. To test the hypothesis, an experiment was carried out involving priming 92 subjects via posters with pictures of either healthy or unhealthy snacks. Participants were then asked about the food they purchased. The formulated hypothesis was confirmed since the results showed that indeed restrained eaters were more affected by the healthy prime than the unrestrained eaters. This result is in line with current studies. Moreover, unrestrained eaters were affected by the unhealthy prime, which was not the case for restrained eaters. Together these findings suggest that people are more responsive to primes that are congruent with their dietary constraints.