Why Do People Like Natural? Instrumental and Ideational Bases for the Naturalness Preference

Li, Meng; Chapman, Gretchen B.

doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2012.00964.x

Cited by 71 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…[2][3][4] They conceptually replicate past work in showing that participants have a bias for natural over synthetic products. They extend past work in showing that such biases occurred in the context of personal medical issues and are predicted by safety and effectiveness ratings.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

The Influence of Safety, Efficacy, and Medical Condition Severity on Natural versus Synthetic Drug Preference

Meier

Lappas

2016

Med Decis Making

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Research indicates that there is a preference for natural v. synthetic products, but the influence of this preference on drug choice in the medical domain is largely unknown. We present 5 studies in which participants were asked to consider a hypothetical situation in which they had a medical issue requiring pharmacological therapy. Participants ( N = 1223) were asked to select a natural, plant-derived, or synthetic drug. In studies 1a and 1b, approximately 79% of participants selected the natural v. synthetic drug, even though the safety and efficacy of the drugs were identical. Furthermore, participants rated the natural drug as safer than the synthetic drug, and as that difference increased, the odds of choosing the natural over synthetic drug increased. In studies 2 and 3, approximately 20% of participants selected the natural drug even when they were informed that it was less safe (study 2) or less effective (study 3) than the synthetic drug. Finally, in study 4, approximately 65% of participants chose a natural over synthetic drug regardless of the severity of a specific medical condition (mild v. severe hypertension), and this choice was predicted by perceived safety and efficacy differences. Overall, these data indicate that there is a bias for natural over synthetic drugs. This bias could have implications for drug choice and usage.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

The Influence of Safety, Efficacy, and Medical Condition Severity on Natural versus Synthetic Drug Preference

Meier

Lappas

2016

Med Decis Making

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“…In related work, participants rated various food products (e.g., soda, smoothies, or bean dip) to be healthier and lower in calories when labeled as natural versus labeled with a typical front‐of‐package brand, even though calorie content was the same regardless of the label (unbeknownst to participants; Skubisz, ). Other research has found that participants rated foods, vitamins, and allergens more favorably when they were described as natural versus made in a laboratory (Li & Chapman, ). Research has also shown that participants are more likely to choose drugs for hypothetical medical conditions when the drugs were described as natural versus synthetic (DiBonaventura & Chapman, ; Meier & Lappas, ).…”

Section: Research On the Naturalness Biasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…That is, people might perceive natural items as safer than non‐natural items. For example, in studies involving cigarettes (Baig et al, in press), other drugs (Li & Chapman, ; Meier & Lappas, ), and injuries (Rudski et al, ), participants rated the natural version of each item as safer or less harmful than the non‐natural version. Other work has provided evidence for perceived safety as a mechanism for the naturalness bias.…”

Section: Some Reasons For a Naturalness Biasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Naturally better? A review of the natural‐is‐better bias

Meier

Dillard

Lappas

2019

Social & Personality Psych

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People are frequently exposed to products and services that are labeled natural (e.g., Nature Made Vitamins or GoJo Natural Orange Hand Cleaner). The frequency with which this label is used suggests that it delivers an advantage in marketing and sales. Our review examines the preference for and perception of naturalness and reveals that people have a bias for items described as natural in many domains including foods, medicine, beauty products, cigarettes, and lighting. These preferences abound even when the natural item is identical or not objectively better than the non‐natural or synthetic item. We believe this bias may be driven by a natural‐is‐better default belief as well as the belief that natural items are safer than non‐natural items. Although a bias for natural items is apparent, this literature is in its infancy, and we suggest three areas that will help build and refine the empirical research base and theory: the measurement of behavior, the examination of individual differences, and the development of methods for reducing the bias. A better understanding of the naturalness bias relevant to these areas will lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the area, including factors that may cause and reduce it.

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“…Instrumental factors focus on the attributes of an item (e.g., a natural product is safer), whereas ideational factors focus on the inherent appeal of natural items, such as the idea that they are morally better because they are linked to nature. For example, participants rated natural versions of items such as cigarettes 4 or drugs 9 as safer than the nonnatural or synthetic versions. These ratings suggest that natural may be preferred in some cases for instrumental reasons.…”

Section: A Behavioral Confirmation and Reduction Of The Natural Versumentioning

confidence: 99%

A Behavioral Confirmation and Reduction of the Natural versus Synthetic Drug Bias

et al. 2019

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Research reveals a biased preference for natural v. synthetic drugs; however, this research is based on self-report and has not examined ways to reduce the bias. We examined these issues in 5 studies involving 1125 participants. In a pilot study ( N = 110), participants rated the term natural to be more positive than the term synthetic, which reveals a default natural-is-better belief. In studies 1 ( N = 109) and 2 ( N = 100), after a supposed personality study, participants were offered a thank you “gift” of a natural or synthetic pain reliever. Approximately 86% (study 1) and 93% (study 2) of participants chose the natural v. synthetic pain reliever, which provides a behavioral choice confirmation of the natural drug bias. In studies 3 ( N = 350) and 4 ( N = 356), participants were randomly assigned to a control or experimental condition and were asked to consider a scenario in which they had a medical issue requiring a natural v. synthetic drug. The experimental condition included a stronger (study 3) or weaker (study 4) rational appeal about the natural drug bias and a statement suggesting that natural and synthetic drugs can be good or bad depending on the context. In both studies, the natural bias was reduced in the experimental condition, and perceived safety and effectiveness mediated this effect. Overall, these data indicate a bias for natural over synthetic drugs in preferences and behavioral choices, which might be reduced with a rational appeal.

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Why Do People Like Natural? Instrumental and Ideational Bases for the Naturalness Preference

Cited by 71 publications

References 21 publications

The Influence of Safety, Efficacy, and Medical Condition Severity on Natural versus Synthetic Drug Preference

The Influence of Safety, Efficacy, and Medical Condition Severity on Natural versus Synthetic Drug Preference

Naturally better? A review of the natural‐is‐better bias

A Behavioral Confirmation and Reduction of the Natural versus Synthetic Drug Bias

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