Driven to Snack: Simulated Driving Increases Subsequent Consumption

Journal of Trial and Error, vol. 3, pp. 57–71

Abstract

When individuals eat while distracted, they may compensate by consuming more afterwards. Here, we examined the effect of eating while driving, and explored potential underlying mechanisms. Participants (N = 116, 73.3% female) were randomly allocated to complete a driving simulation (distraction condition) or to watch someone else drive (control condition) while consuming 10g (50.8 kcal) of potato chips. Afterwards, participants rated the taste intensity and hedonic experience, reported stress levels, and were then given the opportunity to eat more chips. As hypothesized, participants consumed more chips after the driving simulation. Stress levels were higher in the driving compared to control condition, but were inversely related to consumption amount, ruling out stress as explanatory mechanism. Saltiness ratings differed between the driving and passive viewing condition, only when controlling for stress. The current findings converge with earlier work showing that distracted eating can drive overconsumption, which in turn can lead to long-term health implications. Limitations, implications and potential directions are discussed.

Authors 5

1. Floor van Meer corresponding Aachen Institute of Psychology, Leiden University Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Nether-lands

   Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden Univer-sity, The Netherlands

2. Stephen Lee Murphy

   Ruhr University Bochum

   Affiliation as printed

   Ruhr University Bochum, Germany

3. Wilhelm Hofmann

   Ruhr University Bochum

   Affiliation as printed

   Ruhr University Bochum, Germany

4. Henk van Steenbergen Aachen Institute of Psychology, Leiden University Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Nether-lands

   Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden Univer-sity, The Netherlands

5. Lotte Frederike van Dillen Aachen Institute of Psychology, Leiden University

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University