Taking a shine to it: How the preference for glossy stems from an innate need for water

Meert, Katrien; Pandelaere, Mario; Patrick, Vanessa M.

doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2013.12.005

Cited by 56 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…This finding is in contrast with research on non-food objects, which suggests that a glossy surface of such an object is positively related to luxury and consequently conveys an image of greater quality [28]. In a non-food context, this preference for glossiness is attributed to an innate need for water [24]. In a (perishable) food context, research by Murakoshi et al [29], confirmed the positive effect of glossiness by demonstrating that glossiness signals freshness of the food as the glossy surface is an indicator of water content.…”

Section: Theoretical and Practical Contributionscontrasting

confidence: 87%

“…In line with this finding, we believe that a glossy package serves as a cue to evaluate the product that is inside. While previous research in a non-food context links the preference for glossy to an innate need for water [24], we hypothesize that, in a food context, a glossy surface may also remind consumers of grease. In other words, we believe that the positive association between package glossiness and greasiness of the product might exist because fat and glossiness share some exterior resemblance.…”

Section: Glossy Versus Matte Packaging Materialsmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…On the one hand, people are keen on the use of gloss as it is aesthetically appealing. Indeed, Meert, Pandelaere, and Patrick [24] document a preference for glossy pictures over matte ones. To explain this attraction to glossy, they rely on an evolutionary viewpoint stating that this preference for glossy stems from a human need for fresh water necessary to survive [24].…”

Section: Glossy Versus Matte Packaging Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Packaging surface, in contrast, has received only limited attention. Some studies have investigated the use of glossiness, though this research was primarily set in a non-food context [24,28]. Only scant research has actually combined these two streams by investigating the influence of glossy packages on the food product that is wrapped inside.…”

Section: Theoretical and Practical Contributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Fats are Glossy but Does Glossiness Imply Fatness? The Influence of Packaging Glossiness on Food Perceptions

Kerpel

Volles

Kerckhove

2020

Foods

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This research brings together two research streams, one focusing on the influence of a diverse set of packaging attributes (e.g., shape, size, color, etc.) on perceptions of packaged food and the second one on the up- and downsides of using glossy materials, which are often studied in a non-food context. The current research deals with the influence of glossy (versus matte) food packages on consumers’ perceptions of the food inside the package. With one online survey and one quasi-experiment, we show that consumers draw inferences on the food’s fat level from the package surface, in that glossy packages are seen as a signal of fatness. This association is specific; consumers do not associate glossiness with every unhealthy product aspect. Sugar levels are unaffected by the package surface. However, due to the higher inferred fat level, a product in a glossy package is perceived to be less healthy, less tasty, and low in quality and product expensiveness. Thus, these findings suggest that glossy (versus matte) food packages mainly serve as a signal of negative product qualities.

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Section: Theoretical and Practical Contributionscontrasting

confidence: 87%

Section: Glossy Versus Matte Packaging Materialsmentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Glossy Versus Matte Packaging Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical and Practical Contributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Fats are Glossy but Does Glossiness Imply Fatness? The Influence of Packaging Glossiness on Food Perceptions

Kerpel

Volles

Kerckhove

2020

Foods

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Much of this work focused on vision. Extending this body of work, Meert, Pandelaere, and Patrick (2014‐‐in this issue) find that adults as well as children prefer glossy objects over matte objects. They argue that this preference reflects an association of water and glossy surfaces, suggesting that it may be driven by the importance of water in the development of the species.…”

Section: Sensory Experience Mental Simulation and Stimulus Attributesmentioning

confidence: 67%

Sensory marketing, embodiment, and grounded cognition: A review and introduction

2013

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There has been a recent swell of interest in marketing as well as psychology pertaining to the role of sensory experiences in judgment and decision making. Within marketing, the field of sensory marketing has developed which explores the role of the senses in consumer behavior. In psychology, the dominant computer metaphor of information processing has been challenged by researchers demonstrating various manners in which mental activity is grounded in sensory experience. These findings are arduous to explain using the amodal model of the human mind. In this introduction, we first delineate key assumptions of the information processing paradigm and then discuss some of the key conceptual challenges posed by the research generally appearing under the titles of embodiment, grounded cognition, or sensory marketing. We then address the use of bodily feelings as a source of information; next, we turn to the role of context sensitive perception, imagery, and simulation in consumer behavior, and finally discuss the role of metaphors. Through this discourse, we note the contributions to the present special issue as applicable.

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Evolution and Consumer Psychology

Saad

2015

The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology

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The consumer realm offers a window into our evolved human nature. Many consumer choices, preferences, and behaviors are rooted in one of four key Darwinian clusters: (1) survival (e.g., gustatory penchant for highly caloric foods); (2) mating (e.g., employing products as sexual signals); (3) kin selection (e.g., the effects of genetic relatedness and genetic assuredness on gift giving); and (4) reciprocal altruism (gift‐giving rituals among nonkin). The evolutionary lens provides consumer researchers important benefits including the ability to identify novel research questions, and greater interdisciplinarity, methodological pluralism, theoretical parsimony, and consilience. Homo consumericus cannot be entirely understood without acknowledging the evolutionary forces that have forged our minds and bodies.

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Taking a shine to it: How the preference for glossy stems from an innate need for water

Cited by 56 publications

References 86 publications

Fats are Glossy but Does Glossiness Imply Fatness? The Influence of Packaging Glossiness on Food Perceptions

Fats are Glossy but Does Glossiness Imply Fatness? The Influence of Packaging Glossiness on Food Perceptions

Sensory marketing, embodiment, and grounded cognition: A review and introduction

Evolution and Consumer Psychology

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