Is a triple cheeseburger the poor man’s limousine? According to a new study, consumers who feel powerless in society — often those with low socioeconomic status — may be likely to choose bigger food portions, given the opportunity, because they feel it boosts their social standing. The study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, expands on the notion that bigger is better. That cultural norm tends to be true of certain products: a bigger car, house or TV set is usually associated with higher status. But the researchers found that the same phenomenon extends to food portions too. In one experiment, people were asked to rate the status of consumers based only on whether they chose small, medium or large food items like pizza or coffee — things you wouldn’t traditionally associate with social status. The participants consistently judged the consumers who went big as being more respected, even when it was noted that all the foodstuffs, regardless of size, were free. RealSimple.com: Inexpensive Ideas for Holiday Party Food In another experiment, people who were made to feel powerless themselves tended to choose larger-sized smoothies or other food items — especially when they were asked to imagine themselves in social situations or eating in public. Ordering a bigger pizza pie when out with friends can serve the same psychological need as toting a fake Louis Vuitton bag around the mall, says researcher Derek Rucker, a marketing professor at Northwestern University. “When I’m deprived, I have a need, at least for a moment, to get rid of that discrepancy between who I’d like to be and who I am right now,” says Rucker. “And supersizing provides one opportunity.” MORE: Should Being Beautiful — or Ugly — Pay Off? Of course, that solution is fleeting and potentially counterproductive in the long run, given that consistent supersizing is likely to make you fat and sick, and that the better opportunities in life are typically afforded to healthier, more attractive people. But, Rucker says, it still provides a “momentary catharsis,” and people who![]()
