Brief Self-Interventions to Resile Stress Effects on Dietary Choice

Almost a quarter of Americans and Europeans report constant, high levels of stress. When improperly managed, stress may lead to a variety of health problems, including cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and depression. Regarding consumer behavior, it is a consistent finding that stressed consumers show overconsumption of high-caloric foods, more snacking, and a breakdown of healthy dietary efforts. In the proposed research project, we plan to devise effective tools to resile these effects, whose locus of control is within the individual consumer. Specifically, we will adapt short self-interventions from cognitive behavioral therapy (e.g. controlled breathing, reappraisal of stressful situations, distraction) to the consumer context. The research goal is to test and compare which exercises help consumers best to maintain healthy dietary choice under stress. Our research could serve to inform the self-determined consumer on how to protect their well-being and inspire e-mental health technology development in the consumer context