Changing the fate of impulsivity – using heuristics to promote impulsive choices to healthy choices

Abstract

Background: The current research demonstrates that the impulsivity triggered by hunger, limited working memory, ego-depletion often resulting in unhealthy choices could be exploited to help individuals make healthy choices instead. To achieve this aim, we employ heuristics, which are decisional-shortcuts , to promote healthy choices. The underlying rationale is that impulsive individuals would be prone to following heuristics to expedite their decision-making, and would therefore make more healthy choices promoted by heuristics. Moreover, the current research investigates potential moderators (i.e., social information conveyed by the heuristic; individuals' existing healthy eating behaviours) that impact the influence of heuristics. Methods: In three experiments, participants were first induced to be in a hungry vs. satiated state (Study 1), or in a high vs. low cognitive load condition (Study 2), or in an ego-depleted vs. non-depleted condition (Study 3). Subsequently participants chose between healthy vs. unhealthy options, where healthy choices were presented with or without a heuristic. The dependent variable was the total of healthy choices made. Findings: As predicted, participants who were hungry, had limited working memory or depleted made more unhealthy choices, but this trend was reversed when healthy choices were promoted by heuristics. Particularly, heuristics endorsing social proof were most effective. Participants’ extent of healthy eating also played a moderating role. Discussion: Impulsivity does not invariantly result in unhealthy choices but could be steered towards healthy choices with heuristics. Findings that social proof heuristics were superior suggest that conveying normative behaviour is more effective than simply increasing the salience of choices.