Nutritious or Delicious? The Effect of Descriptive Norm Information on Food Choice

In two studies, we examined the effect of salient descriptive norm information on women's food choices. Undergraduate women in Study 1 were led to believe that earlier participants typically had chosen either a healthy or an unhealthy snack bar when participating in a study on taste sensations. When asked to make their own choice, participants tended to select a snack consistent with what they believed others had chosen. The findings were replicated in Study 2 when participants made multiple snack selections in a situation in which they believed that no one would know which snacks they chose. The results are consistent with the Focus Theory of Normative Conduct and suggest avenues for nutrition intervention programs.