Culturally Contingent Cravings: How Holistic Thinking Influences Consumer Responses to Food Appeals

Abstract

While prior literature has often conceptualized Eastern consumers as archetypes of resolute discipline and self‐control, the authors of this manuscript demonstrate that holistic thinking (a well‐established characteristic of Eastern culture) can pose a liability to consumers’ self‐control efforts by increasing their desire for indulgent foods under certain conditions. Specifically, this research reveals that when an indulgent food is advertised with a cue that sets the occasion for consumption (i.e., an occasion‐setting cue), holistic (vs. analytic) thinking increases craving and subsequent purchase likelihood for the featured product. Evidence for this effect is found across three studies using both self‐reported and physiological measures of craving. Furthermore, the effect holds regardless of whether holistic thinking is measured or manipulated. Finally, this research provides evidence for the underlying mechanism and establishes important boundary conditions for the interactive effect.