Don't go to the grocery store hungry?: the effect of hunger on food attractiveness and consumption

Although it is commonly assumed that consumers eat more and find food to be more attractive when hungry, surprisingly little research has looked at how robust this effect might be and what could moderate it. Building on theories of hunger and self-control, this research examines which types of foods (hedonic or utilitarian) are more attractive and likely to be consumed by hungry consumers. Across a series of six experiments I find that when hungry and under reduced cognitive capacity, consumers find hedonic foods more attractive and consume them in larger quantities. However, when hungry and with high cognitive capacity, consumers have the ability to engage in counteractive self-control, thus limiting both the attractiveness and consumption of hedonic food items. Furthermore, I find that hunger is not likely to influence the attractiveness of utilitarian foods, but is likely to increase the consumption of these foods, regardless of cognitive capacity.