The adaptive eater: Perceived healthiness moderates the effect of the color red on consumption
Reutner, Genschow and Wänke test the claim that red reduces food intake by acting as a danger signal that stops consumption. If that were the mechanism, red should suppress eating regardless of what the food is. Two studies show it does not. Red influenced the amount of unhealthy food eaten, and the choice of unhealthy options, considerably more than it influenced the healthy equivalents, and the impact decreased gradually as the food options became healthier. The effect held for subtle colour cues and for salient ones alike. The authors conclude that consumers respond to red in an adaptive way rather than a generalised one. This publication cites the paper as the result that keeps colour-in-context theory standing after its famous predictions failed, since a colour doing different work depending on what the setting means is precisely what the framework predicts.
Reutner, Genschow and Wänke test the claim that red reduces food intake by acting as a danger signal that stops consumption. If that were the mechanism, red should suppress eating regardless of what the food is. Two studies show it does not. Red influenced the amount of unhealthy food eaten, and the choice of unhealthy options, considerably more than it influenced the healthy equivalents, and the impact decreased gradually as the food options became healthier. The effect held for subtle colour cues and for salient ones alike. The authors conclude that consumers respond to red in an adaptive way rather than a generalised one. This publication cites the paper as the result that keeps colour-in-context theory standing after its famous predictions failed, since a colour doing different work depending on what the setting means is precisely what the framework predicts.
Written from the abstract, OpenAlex.
What our sources record
Reproduced as it was written when this source was checked, figures and all.
Reutner, L., Genschow, O., & Wänke, M. (2015). 'The adaptive eater: perceived healthiness moderates the effect of the color red on consumption.' Food Quality and Preference, 44, 172-178. Red affected intake and choice more strongly for unhealthy than healthy food, with the effect decreasing gradually as options became healthier; the authors describe the response as adaptive rather than generalised. doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.04.016
Where we use it
- What Red Actually Does, Why We Act
Reliability of this reference
The link below was matched against the publisher's record on title, first author and year, and all three agree.
The source
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.04.016
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.04.016