Scholarlink

<p>Temporal landmarks - such as the beginning of a week or a month - may help individuals overcome present bias and promote delayed gratification in health-related decision-making. Drawing on the concept of negative discounting, wherein delayed consumption gains value through anticipation and imagination, this study investigates whether temporal landmarks function as psychological anchors that facilitate the initiation of real-life dietary change. We analyzed nearly one million orders from 27 diet catering companies in Poland (2022–2023), supplemented by detailed monthly data from August 2024. The results reveal that consumers systematically align the initiation of dietary changes with temporal landmarks. As confirmed by the yearly data analysis, they tend to place orders just before or just after the start of a new month or week. Additionally, there was a strong preference for Monday as the first delivery day, regardless of the length of the catering plan. These findings provide large-scale behavioral evidence supporting the role of negative discounting in health-related consumer behavior. They also demonstrate how temporal landmarks can be strategically leveraged to encourage long-term dietary change. The study offers practical insights for designing interventions that align with natural temporal rhythms to promote healthier eating habits.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Temporal landmarks help to change eating habits: the case of home delivered meals in Poland

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月22日

查看全文
  • Grzegorz Sojka,
  • Robert Mackiewicz,
  • Andrzej Falkowski

摘要

Temporal landmarks - such as the beginning of a week or a month - may help individuals overcome present bias and promote delayed gratification in health-related decision-making. Drawing on the concept of negative discounting, wherein delayed consumption gains value through anticipation and imagination, this study investigates whether temporal landmarks function as psychological anchors that facilitate the initiation of real-life dietary change. We analyzed nearly one million orders from 27 diet catering companies in Poland (2022–2023), supplemented by detailed monthly data from August 2024. The results reveal that consumers systematically align the initiation of dietary changes with temporal landmarks. As confirmed by the yearly data analysis, they tend to place orders just before or just after the start of a new month or week. Additionally, there was a strong preference for Monday as the first delivery day, regardless of the length of the catering plan. These findings provide large-scale behavioral evidence supporting the role of negative discounting in health-related consumer behavior. They also demonstrate how temporal landmarks can be strategically leveraged to encourage long-term dietary change. The study offers practical insights for designing interventions that align with natural temporal rhythms to promote healthier eating habits.