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Craving Comfort : The Emotional Foundation of Unhealthy and Unplanned Purchases

Skobeev, Olesja (2025) Craving Comfort : The Emotional Foundation of Unhealthy and Unplanned Purchases.

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Abstract:Can emotions influence what will end up in one’s shopping basket? This study focused on how emotions influence food purchasing behaviour of university students aged between 16 to 26, investigating the research question “To what extent does negative affect predict an increase in impulsive and unhealthy food purchases?”. Besides, the study investigated the feasibility of the photo diary and experience sampling method (ESM) for this type of study. The data collection was carried out via the TIIM app, where participants needed to complete three phases: a baseline questionnaire, the ESM phase and a follow-up questionnaire. During the ESM phase, participants were prompted five times per day throughout one week to report their food purchases and corresponding mood, measured by the Momentary Affect Scale (MAS). Descriptive statistics indicated that participants while being under negative emotions, tended to purchase more unhealthy food and make more unplanned purchases. Participant entries from the follow-up questionnaire revealed that they noticed that they were trying to cope with stress through purchasing unhealthy food, and that this often caused their purchases to be unplanned.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology BSc (56604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107206
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