Undermining Desire: Reducing Unhealthy Choices by Highlighting Short-term (vs. Long-term) Costs – MSI

Working Paper

Undermining Desire: Reducing Unhealthy Choices by Highlighting Short-term (vs. Long-term) Costs

Paul Stillman

Yale University

Kaitlin Woolley

Jan 11, 2023

A series of online and lab experiments are used to compare the effects of focusing on long-term versus short-term costs in deterring unhealthy consumption and to determine the mechanisms underlying the observed results.

Topics

Consumer Behavior & Insights Privacy & Regulation

research recap

To Deter Unhealthy Consumption, Focus on Short-term Costs

Consumers and health care providers both tend to focus on long-term consequences to deter unhealthy eating and related behaviors. Focusing on the short term, however, might be more effective by making costs seem more immediate and likely, thus undermining the anticipated pleasure.

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