Psychological Consequences of Inequality for Food Intake

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000

How is inequality associated to social gradients in health such as overweight/obesity? Inconclusive findings and misunderstanding regarding the association between inequality and overweight/obesity impair attempts to reduce social gradients in obesity. In this chapter, we discuss various findings from research on food choices and consumption in situations broadly associated with inequality; that is, environmental scarcity and resource competition, relative deprivation and wealth, and social class distinctions. Based on a review of social and evolutionary psychological theories, we present a model that describes a diverse set of psychological mechanisms that may underlie the effect of experienced inequality on eating behaviors. In particular, we discuss how perceptions of environmental harshness increase motivation for calories, how relative status differences can trigger negative emotions that increase caloric intake, and how food consumption can be motivated by socioeconomic class distinctions that are heightened under conditions of inequality. We conclude with an integration of these different findings and propose future directions that can address current limitations in interventions aimed at reducing social inequalities in health.

PhD Thesis: Relative socioeconomic status and decision-making - An application to eating behaviors

Sat, 01 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0000

How can we reduce the social gradient in obesity if we do not know what causes it in the first place? This PhD thesis explores underlying explanations of the association between socioeconomic status and eating behaviors. Taking a social psychological approach, this thesis presents the results from a series of empirical studies that test how relative socioeconomic status affects decision-making. In particular, it examines how perceptions of one’s relative status affects impulsivity, and how someone else’s relative status influences beliefs about that person’s impulsivity. Together, these findings reveal both the existence and accuracy of impulsivity stereotypes. The findings suggest that (adherence to) these stereotypical behaviors are malleable and can be used in health interventions aimed at reducing health gradients.

Supervisors O. Klein & O. Corneille

6 | Maria Almudena Claassen

Psychological Consequences of Inequality for Food Intake

PhD Thesis: Relative socioeconomic status and decision-making - An application to eating behaviors