Effect of a delay discounting intervention on soft drink and alcohol demand

Abstract

Excessive soft drink and alcohol consumption have been associated with negative health outcomes. This study tested whether an intervention to reduce preferences for smaller, immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards (i.e., delay discounting) would reduce demand, a behavioural economic measure of consumption sensitivity to price. A sample of 253 men and women aged 18–54 years completed baseline measures of self-reported impulsivity, reward sensitivity, and habitual beverage intake. They were then randomly assigned to either a nature exposure condition (hypothesised to reduce delay discounting by reorienting a focus towards the future) or a control condition. Following the intervention, participants completed a monetary delay discounting task and hypothetical purchase tasks, which assessed demand for soft drink and alcohol across a range of prices. Participants in the experimental condition chose larger, later rewards over smaller, immediate rewards more frequently than those in the control condition, indicating lower delay discounting. However, the intervention did not result in statistically significant changes in soft drink or alcohol demand. These findings suggest that brief nature-based interventions may reduce delay discounting; however, longer or more intensive interventions may be necessary to meaningfully shift consumption patterns. Future research should investigate the effects of more sustained approaches targeting delay discounting, such as repeated nature exposure, episodic future thinking, or cognitive training, to reduce alcohol and soft drink demand.