In the eye of the beholder: Visual biases in package and portion size perceptions.
As the sizes of food packages and portions have changed rapidly over the past decades, it has become crucial to understand how consumers perceive and respond to changes in size. Existing evidence suggests that consumers make errors when visually estimating package and portion sizes, and these errors significantly influence subsequent food choices and intake. We outline four visual biases (arising from the underestimation of increasing portion sizes, the dimensionality of the portion size change, labeling effects, and consumer affect) that shape consumers' perceptions of package and portion sizes. We discuss the causes of these biases, review their impact on food consumption decisions, and suggest concrete strategies to reduce them and to promote healthier eating. We conclude with a discussion of important theoretical and practical issues that should be addressed in the future.
Carroll School of Management, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA. Electronic address: nailya.ordabayeva@bc.edu.
Nailya
N
Ordabayeva
INSEAD, Boulevard de Constance, 77305 Fontainebleau, France; Institute of Cardiometabolism and Nutrition, 91 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France. Electronic address: pierre.chandon@insead.edu.
Pierre
P
Chandon
D002755:Choice Behavior; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005515:Food Labeling; D018857:Food Packaging; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D064787:Portion Size / Q000523:psychology*; D012858:Size Perception; D014796:Visual Perception
Portion size; Size estimation; Visual bias; Visual perception