Trying tongs and spoiling spoons: Effort nudges influence food consumption and may motivate healthier food decisions

Abstract

Healthier eating is crucial to tackle the rapid rise of obesity and noncommunicable diseases worldwide. This research examined two nudging interventions intended to decrease food consumption: price display and serving utensils. Forecasting experiments showed that people predicted displaying the price of the food per kg (vs. hg) should decrease the amount of food purchased (Study 1 A), but that using tongs (vs. spoon) would be ineffective (Study 1B). In contrast to these results, a high-powered preregistered field study at a university canteen (Study 2) revealed that price display had no notable effect; however, tongs (vs. spoon) reliably decreased the average amount of food purchased per meal by 14 g or 3.1 %, also when compared to weeks when both types of serving utensils were available. An image-supported online experiment with enhanced rigor and control (Study 3) replicated the results regarding tongs (vs. spoon) for a particularly unhealthy food category (candy), while highlighting a psychological mechanism driving the effect. Using tongs required more effort, which decreased satisfaction tied to using said serving utensils, thereby reducing people's willingness to consume candy. Given the simplicity and cost effectiveness of swapping spoons with tongs, combined with the behavioral evidence underscoring its practical relevance, these findings might aid in steering consumers to healthier food decisions, ultimately benefiting public health.