title: Mental imagery interventions reduce subsequent food intake only when self-regulatory resources are available.
abstract: Research has shown that imagining food consumption leads to food-specific habituation effects. In the present research, we replicated these effects and further examined whether the depletion of self-regulatory resources would reduce the habituation effects of imagined food consumption. Since self-regulatory resources have been shown to reduce habituation effects during the perception of emotional stimuli, we expected a reduction in habituation effects from imagined food consumption when self-regulatory resources were depleted. In Study 1, we replicated habituation effects as a response to imagining gummy bear consumption with a high (36) and medium number (18) of repetitions in a camouflaged taste test. Participants imagining gummy bear intake showed decreased food intake compared with participants who imagined putting a coin into a laundry machine. The number of repetitions did not significantly moderate the observed habituation effect. In Study 2, we investigated whether self-regulatory depletion would impede habituation effects evoked by the imagination of walnut consumption. Participants in a depleted state did not show a reduction in food intake after imagining walnut intake compared with participants in a non-depleted state. We discuss directions for future research and processes that might underlie the observed moderating effect of self-regulatory resources.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna Austria.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Missbach
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna Austria.
authors.forename: Arnd
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Florack
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna Austria.
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weissmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna Austria.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: König
keywords: depletion; habituation; mental imagery; regulation of food intake; satiation; self-regulation