Regretful bites: Exploring the influence of anthropomorphized food on children's food choices and consumption

Anthropomorphizing food is a prevalent marketing technique, particularly for children; however, its impact on their choices and consumption remains largely unexplored. We conducted two experiments to investigate how anthropomorphism affects food choices and consumption in four- and five-year-old children. In Study 1 (within-subjects design, N = 72), children were shown both anthropomorphized and non-anthropomorphized cookies and given a plastic coin. They were asked to choose the cookie they would like to exchange the coin for. The results indicated that a greater proportion of children selected the anthropomorphized cookie. In Study 2 (between-subjects design, N = 144), children were given either an anthropomorphized or a non-anthropomorphized cookie and allowed to eat as much as they wished. Those who received the anthropomorphized cookie consumed less and reported more feelings of regret compared to those who were given a non-anthropomorphized cookie. Together, these findings suggest that while anthropomorphic features might increase food choice, they paradoxically decrease actual consumption while increasing feelings of regret.