Calm Emotion Induced by a Video Uplifts Healthy Food Preference

Abstract

Aim: Videos were used to induce emotions and determine effects on food choice.

Methods: Participants (n=146) were separated into three rooms, watching four minutes of videos. The video for the positive emotion group (PE) was bright, vivid, and stable in the color, that for the negative emotion group (NE) was dark and used dull colors/low-pitched music, and that for the calm emotion group (CE) was neither impressive nor narrative. Emotional grading was then carried out.

Results: Positive emotion items were the highest in the PE group, and negative emotion and calm emotion items were the highest in the NE and CE groups, respectively, showing that edited videos can efficiently induce emotions from multiple people simultaneously. Food evaluations were conducted after the emotion inductions. The CE group had a significantly higher score in “because it is nutrient rich” regarding healthy foods; the PE group had the lowest score about their reasoning.

Conclusion: People experiencing calm emotions might choose healthy foods based on knowledge while people experiencing positive emotions might not choose lower-calorie foods in order to avoid physical weakness.