Preliminary Insights on the Relationship Between Attention, Future Orientation, and Health Behavior

Abstract

Oftentimes persuasive advertisement for the wrong product creates sub-optimal and long-lasting behavioral adaptations at the population level (e.g. cigarette smoking, see Pierce et al., 1998). Advertisements and other types of product communications are powerful tools of persuasion. They can lead people to smoke, drink, and eat unhealthy food, leading to detrimental consequences for the population at large.
This study brings a new perspective on the issue of unhealthy behavior in food-related choices by establishing an empirical link between attention, future orientation, and health behavior. According to the study findings, people more oriented towards the future tend to spend more time looking at health-related information cues on the product. Such results are corroborated by a double moderation model, holding future orientation and product preference as significant moderators of the relationship between attention and health behavior.
By understanding the critical attentional mechanisms behind healthy and unhealthy choices, people might be better equipped to counteract the ill effects of persuasive communication towards unhealthy products (e.g. the appealing product packages of high-calorie junk food) and improve their self-control in health-related decisions.
On the other hand, companies and governmental organizations, by improving their understanding of the link between attention, future orientation, and health behavior, might be able to develop more effective product designs and communications to nudge larger shares of the population towards healthier options and help the overall workforce to stay more productive for longer.