Hungry For Money: the Desire For Caloric Resources Increases the Desire For Financial Resources and Vice Versa

We propose that people’s desire for money is a modern derivative of their evolved desire for food. In three studies we show the reciprocity between the incentive value of food and money. In Study 1, hungry participants were less likely to donate to charity than satiated participants. In Study 2, an olfactory food cue, known to increase the desire to eat, made participants offer less money in an economic game compared to participants in a room free of scent. In Study 3, the respondents’ desire for money affected the amount of candy eaten in a subsequent taste test, but only for dietary-unrestrained participants.

Citation:

barbara briers, mario pandelaere, siegfried dewitte, and luk warlop (2007) ,"Hungry For Money: the Desire For Caloric Resources Increases the Desire For Financial Resources and Vice Versa", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 34, eds. Gavan Fitzsimons and Vicki Morwitz, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 571-572.