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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Impact of a non-consciously perceived odour on subsequent food choices

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Poster (1 page) ; http://www.pangborn2013.com/; International audience; Although people were initially considered as entirely conscious of the motivations driving their behaviour and choices, current research in psychology suggests that a significant part of choices and decision-making is influenced by unconscious processes (Bargh, & Chartrand, 1999; Dijksterhuis et al., 2005). To study the unconscious processes involved in food choice, we used the priming paradigm. In a first experiment, we showed that non-consciously perceived fruity odours impacted intentions of food choices (on a menu card), guiding participants toward more fruit and/or vegetable (Gaillet et al., under review). The present study aimed at exploring if the incidental exposition to a pear odour could have an impact on food choices, in a real situation of consumption. 115 participants took part in this study, and were assigned randomly to either a control or a pear-scent condition. At their arrival to the lab, they were seated into a waiting room. In the pear-scent condition, they were unobtrusively exposed to a pear odour, while in the control condition the waiting room was non-odorized. Following this, all participants were moved into a non-odorized test room where they were asked to choose the starter, the main course and the dessert that they would actually eat for lunch. Results showed that participants in the pear-scent condition chose to consume the 'fruity' dessert (compote) more frequently than participants in the control condition, who chose more 'high-energy' desserts (brownie). In line with the results of our first study (Gaillet et al., under review), these results enhance the idea of priming effects 'specific to the food cue'. To conclude, this study provides for the first time the scientific evidence that a non-consciously perceived fruity odour can influence actual food choices, guiding them toward more fruity desserts, which represented the 'healthier' alternative in the present case.