New research recommends that being sidetracked throughout meals can reduce pleasure and cause increased intake of satisfying activities later. This result, referred to as “hedonic compensation,” implies that distractions during any satisfying activity can trigger individuals to seek additional satisfaction to make up for reduced enjoyment. Credit: SciTechDaily.comBeing distracted while participating in satisfying activities such as consuming can minimize fulfillment, resulting in overcompensation, according to new research.If you tend to do other things or get sidetracked while eating dinner, you might be running the danger of over-consuming everyday pleasures later, perhaps since the diversion caused you to enjoy yourself less, according to research released by the American Psychological Association.The research study looked at how distraction impacts “hedonic intake,” or purchasing and using items and experiences due to the fact that they make us feel excellent and not always due to the fact that we need them.” On any provided day, an individual might take great pleasure from one or more of these activities, yet people frequently consume more hedonic products than they desire or than benefits them,” said lead author Stephen Lee Murphy, PhD, of Ghent University.Research Findings on Distraction During MealsOne factor for this overconsumption may be diversion, according to Murphy. When individuals are distracted while taken part in a hedonic activity, research study suggests they are most likely to experience less pleasure from it than if they were fully focused. That may lead to sensations of discontentment and drive more usage to make up for that shortfall.The research study was published today (May 16) in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.Experimental InsightsTo better comprehend the role of interruption in overconsumption, the researchers first carried out an experiment involving 122 individuals (primarily female and mostly in between the ages of 18 and 24) who reported on just how much they expected to enjoy their lunch before eating it. They were then asked to eat their lunch under one of 3 conditions: no diversion, moderate distraction (enjoying a video), and high distraction (playing Tetris). After lunch, individuals reported on their actual enjoyment, satisfaction, desire for additional gratification, and amount taken in. They also reported on their snacking later in the day.Participants who consumed while distracted reported lower pleasure and fulfillment, which was related to increased snacking afterward and a more general desire for further gratification.Broader Implications Beyond EatingThe researchers think that this proposed effect, which they called “hedonic payment,” likely uses to other activities beyond eating. People who are distracted while viewing a film or playing a game might be more most likely to engage in extra consumption (e.g., checking social media) to compensate for a lessened enjoyment of the initial activity.Long-Term Study and Future ResearchThe researchers likewise followed 220 participants aged 18 to 71 (again mainly female) for a week to investigate this wider effect, beyond food. Individuals submitted seven brief studies each day through their smartphones concerning their hedonic intake, interruption, and satisfaction. As with the food-based experiment, researchers found that when people were distracted during usage, they were likely to enjoy an item less than they hoped, felt less pleased, and experienced an elevated requirement for more gratification.” Overconsumption often results due to an absence of self-control,” said Murphy. “However, our findings suggest overconsumption may also typically be driven by the easy human desire to reach a particular level of enjoyment from an activity. When diversion obstructs, its likely we may try to compensate by consuming more.” Conclusion and Future DirectionsMurphy and his colleagues plan to conduct more research study to confirm the presence and duplicate of a hedonic payment effect. If additional research study verifies the impact, they have strategies to apply interventions that might help people pay more attention to their consumption experiences in an effort to reduce the likelihood of overconsumption.” By understanding the crucial chauffeurs of hedonic overconsumption, we can develop methods to assist avoid its occurrence,” said Murphy.Reference: “Underwhelming Pleasures: Towards a Self-Regulatory Account of Hedonic Compensation and Overconsumption” by Stephen Lee Murphy, PhD, Ghent University; Floor van Meer, PhD, Lotte van Dillen, PhD, and Henk van Steenbergen, PhD, Leiden University; and Wilhelm Hofmann, PhD, Ruhr University Bochum, 16 May 2024, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.DOI: 10.1037/ pspa0000389.
Credit: SciTechDaily.comBeing distracted while engaging in enjoyable activities such as eating can decrease fulfillment, leading to overcompensation, according to new research.If you tend to get or do other things distracted while consuming dinner, you may be running the danger of over-consuming everyday pleasures later, potentially since the distraction caused you to enjoy yourself less, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.The study looked at how interruption affects “hedonic consumption,” or purchasing and using items and experiences since they make us feel excellent and not necessarily due to the fact that we need them.” On any given day, an individual might take terrific pleasure from one or more of these activities, yet individuals often consume more hedonic products than they desire or than is great for them,” said lead author Stephen Lee Murphy, PhD, of Ghent University.Research Findings on Distraction During MealsOne reason for this overconsumption may be distraction, according to Murphy. They were then asked to consume their lunch under one of 3 conditions: no diversion, moderate interruption (enjoying a video), and high distraction (playing Tetris).