A new study suggests the influence our friends have on what we choose to eat when we’re with them becomes a bit of a game.
The study found that we try to match the size or price of what we choose to our friends’ choice, but when it comes to flavour or shape, we go our own way and it’s all done to avoid awkwardness.
So why are we more likely to copy our friends in such situations?
Food choices and our friends
The study was conducted as a series of 11 experiments where researchers explored several nuances that govern decision making.
Professor Kelly Hawes, says while they focused on food choices, they also looked at a charitable giving scenario to test whether their finding could extend to other decision-making areas.
Broadly speaking, we tend to match the choices of others along ordinal lines (a logical order). These might be numerical characteristics such as size, price, or number, but also more abstract value-based concepts like perceived healthiness, prestige, or authenticity.
Professor Hawes says, “So, in other words, one is better than another.”
She says, for instance, let’s say you order a double-scoop ice cream cone, which might suggest you are celebrating or indulging together, but if you order a single-scoop it may suggest you are having a treat but don’t need to go overboard
But the same doesn’t go for choices around shape or flavour which are considered subjective characteristics – all in the mind.
Be careful who you shop with
Professor Hawes and her co-authors also found that the simple task of shopping can be affected by ordinal choices of store employees too.
Many involved in the research said they were influenced to make a certain choice to avoid social discomfort.
She says the findings of the study could help managers make better decisions about how to shape consumers’ choices through store signage, employee interactions and other cues.
So, next time you’re tossing up between a double or single scoop of ice cream, I say go with your gut instinct!
