Consumption imagery increases food desire & suggest that this impact is due to induced feelings of deprivation; this increased desire explains a higher willingness to pay for and consumption volumes of the imagined food

Does a single consumption imagery event increase food desire? Evelynn Devos, Mario Pandelaere, Anneleen Van Kerckhove. Appetite, October 24 2021, 105773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105773

Abstract: Food desire is an intense motivational state a consumer experiences toward food that accounts for much of consumption. While extant research has shown that experiencing desire elicits consumption imagery, it remains unclear whether consumption imagery alone instigates desire. Even though this directional relationship has been often speculated upon, little empirical study has considered it. This paper empirically identifies imagined consumption as an antecedent of food desire. Six studies show that consumption imagery increases food desire and suggest that this impact is due to induced feelings of deprivation. Our findings also show that increased desire explains previously researched outcomes of imagery, such as a higher willingness to pay for and consumption volumes of the imagined food.

Keywords: DesireConsumption imageryFood deprivationConsumptionFood