Reduced liking and wanting for high-caloric foods: The transfer effect of sensory-specific satiety through repeated imagination

Numerous studies have demonstrated that repeatedly consuming a specific food item within a short period of time can reduce individuals’ liking of and wanting for this food. This phenomenon is referred to as sensory-specific satiety. Recent research has shown that sensory-specific satiety can also be elicited by repeated imagined consumption. The present study was conducted to examine whether repeated imagined consumption of one food could induce the transfer of sensory-specific satiety to other foods. In three experiments, the participants were instructed to repeatedly imagine consuming a high-caloric food 30 times and rate the extent to which they liked and desired other high- or low-caloric foods after imagining consumption 3 and 30 times. The results revealed a significant decrease in the liking of and wanting for the imagined food and other high-caloric foods they did not imagine consuming, whereas no such effects were observed for the unimagined low-caloric foods. These results suggest that repeated imagined consumption of a certain high-caloric food can also induce sensory-specific satiety to other high-caloric foods, thereby indicating the transfer of sensory-specific satiety based on repeated imagination without actual consumption. Our findings have implications in the practice of nudging strategies aimed at encouraging healthier eating behaviors by prompting individuals to repeatedly imagine consuming high-caloric foods prior to actual food consumption.