title: I Eat Healthier Than You: Differences in Healthy and Unhealthy Food Choices for Oneself and for Others.
abstract: The present study investigated self-other biases in actual eating behavior based on the observation of three different eating situations. To capture the complexity of real life food choices within a well-controlled setting, an ecologically valid fake food buffet with 72 different foods was employed. Sixty participants chose a healthy, a typical, and an unhealthy meal for themselves and for an average peer. We found that the typical meal for the self was more similar to the healthy than to the unhealthy meal in terms of energy content: The mean difference between the typical and healthy meals was MΔ = 1368 kJ (327 kcal) as compared to a mean difference between the typical and unhealthy meals of MΔ = 3075 kJ (735 kcal). Moreover, there was evidence that people apply asymmetrical standards for themselves and others: Participants chose more energy for a peer than for themselves (M = 4983 kJ or 1191 kcal on average for the peers' meals vs. M = 3929 kJ or 939 kcal on average for the own meals) and more high-caloric food items for a typical meal, indicating a self-other bias. This comparatively positive self-view is in stark contrast to epidemiological data indicating overall unhealthy eating habits and demands further examination of its consequences for behavior change.
authors.affiliation: Psychological Assessment and Health Psychology, University of Konstanz, P.O. Box 47, Konstanz 78457, Germany. gudrun.sproesser@uni-konstanz.de.
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sproesser
authors.affiliation: Psychological Assessment and Health Psychology, University of Konstanz, P.O. Box 47, Konstanz 78457, Germany. verena.kohlbrenner@uni-konstanz.de.
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kohlbrenner
authors.affiliation: General Psychology, University of Konstanz, P.O. Box 36, Konstanz 78457, Germany. harald.schupp@uni-konstanz.de.
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schupp
authors.affiliation: Psychological Assessment and Health Psychology, University of Konstanz, P.O. Box 47, Konstanz 78457, Germany. britta.renner@uni-konstanz.de.
authors.forename: Britta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Renner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002755:Choice Behavior; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D058870:Food, Organic; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D062407:Meals; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: fake food buffet; food choice; optimism in eating behavior; self-other bias