Empty Pockets, Full Stomachs: How Desire For Money Affects Caloric Intake

In this project we hypothesize that people’s desire for money is predictive for their internal need to consume calories. In 5 studies we show that different money manipulations lead people to choose a more caloric dish (Study 1), to choose a larger portion (Study 2, 4), and to underestimate the caloric content of food items they are presented with (Study 3, 4, 5). By showing how to suppress this effect (Study 4), especially for people with a higher tendency to worry about money (Study 5), we illustrate the underlying mechanism. Implications for understanding why especially poor people suffer from obesity are discussed.

Citation:

Barbara Briers and Sandra Laporte (2009) ,"Empty Pockets, Full Stomachs: How Desire For Money Affects Caloric Intake", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 36, eds. Ann L. McGill and Sharon Shavitt, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 837-838.