Food psychology
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Food psychology is the psychological study of how people choose the food they eat (
The development of food choice is considered to fall into three main categories: properties of the food, individual differences and sociocultural influences.[1][7] Food psychology studies psychological aspects of individual differences, although due to the interaction between factors and the variance in definitions, food psychology is often studied alongside other aspects of food choice including nutrition psychology.[7]
As of 2022[update], there are no specific journals for food psychology, with research being published in both nutrition and psychology journals.[4][8]
Eating behaviors which are analysed by food psychology include
COVID-19
Food psychology has been used to examine how eating behaviors have been globally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Changed food preferences due to COVID-19 have been found, with both beneficial and harmful effects on food choice.[13][14] Studies in Spain and Saudi Arabia found a reduced consumption of processed foods and junk food, and higher rates of sustainable diets,[15][13] whereas UK residents and US university students were found to have less influence in household food choice, increased snacking behaviors and generally increased consumption of junk food.[14][16] 48% of residents in a UK study reported increased food intake, especially for high energy foods, and a similar percentage reported increased food cravings.[17] Increased food stockpiling and reduced effects of familiarity on food choice were also observed.[13][16]
While some participants appear to have thrived in this context, with healthier lifestyles and decision-making, others gained weight, lacked varied diets and struggled with food expense. [16]
A 2020 review found the largest effects of COVID-19 in food choice to be from
An individual's
The tendency to stockpile or hoard food has also been explained using the theory of planned behavior, using data collected from Vietnam that has suggested high risk perception is correlated with food stockpiling and panic buying.[22] The perception of lacking food was found higher scoring in US women than US men, and higher in Indian men compared to Indian women, suggesting that country of residence may be a moderator to how gender affects need for closure in food, based on household roles.[20]
Italy
Italy has received particular academic attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for studies of food choice as the country was one of the most severely affected by COVID-19. One study found survey results that "Around 40% of the [Italian] population perceive that strengthening the immune defences through nutrition is not important to reduce the risk of coronavirus disease".[23] Survey results suggest that cooking behaviors were increased and junk food consumption was reduced,[24] along with raised public interest in sustainability issues including sustainable food products.[25]
Ethnocentrism has been proposed as an explanation for the large change in food choice and eating behaviors of Italians during COVID-19.[26]
See also
References
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