Promoting healthy food choices under conditions of low self-control : nudging through the persuasive design of the environment

In this study we use a food-ordering app to examine if the success of environmental cues that promote healthy food choices in conditions of low self-control, also occurs in a technological device context. To do so healthy products are associated with a social proof heuristic, referring to the tendency to adopt the option preferred by the majority of the public. Besides the social proof heuristic, healthy food options are more convenient to select and to order in the food-ordering app and presented as the default and most straightforward option. This study uses a 2 (self-control: low vs. high) x 2 (social proof heuristic vs. no heuristic) x 2 (convenience heuristic vs. no heuristic) between-subjects design. A state of low self-control is experimentally induced by a cognitive busyness task.