Brian Wansink | Cornell University (original) (raw)

Papers by Brian Wansink

Where have all the saxophones gone in pop music? Quantifying their popularity over time could giv... more Where have all the saxophones gone in pop music? Quantifying their popularity over time could give useful insights into the trends and psychology behind hit tracks. An analysis was conducted of 1081 Top 40 tracks (1955-2020) with sax solos. A rollercoaster of popularity was found with two dramatic peaks in the early 1960s and again 20 years later in the early 1980s. By 1990, the number of sax solos has dropped to almost zero where it remains today. The tenor saxophone comprised 63.2 of the solos in this time period (alto 34.1 ; baritone 8.7 ; soprano 4.4). Interestingly, while the popularity of the baritone decreased with time (p < .01), the popularity of the soprano increased (p = .021) probably because its ability to cut through busy tracks. This general trend corresponds with changes in technology (the prevalence of synthesizers), economics (the cost of saxophone players), and taste-the latter of which appears to be more influenced both by individual creative artists and by bold players than previously thought. There are promising implications for educators and musicians of all instruments.

The Behavioral Foundations of Public Policy

Package size, plate shape, lighting, socializing, and variety are only a few of the environmental... more Package size, plate shape, lighting, socializing, and variety are only a few of the environmental factors that can influence the volume of food consumed far more than most people realize. While education and increasing awareness might appear to be the solution to environmentally-stimulated overeating, a meta analysis of these studies show that it is unlikely to work. Using lessons from the National Mindless Eating Challenge, this chapter underscores how the Laboratory of Life – the real world – suggests key principles that academics, industry, and government can use when partnering to make tangible health-related changes in the lives of individuals.

Bariatric Surgical Practice and Patient Care, 2017

Objective: To investigate whether bariatric patients experience changes in the enjoyment of healt... more Objective: To investigate whether bariatric patients experience changes in the enjoyment of health-promoting behaviors, and how those changes relate to weight loss success. Materials and Methods: Online lifestyle survey for bariatric patients ‡18 years old who had undergone gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy ‡1 year earlier. Changes in the enjoyment of eating behaviors and exercise were surveyed, and associations with weight loss success were analyzed. The role of obtaining external support since surgery was investigated. Results: Of 877 respondents, 475 were eligible (95% women, 53.3-9.0 years, body mass index 34.2-8.0 kg/m 2), of whom 21%, 36%, and 43% had had surgery 12-24, 24-60, and >60 months earlier, respectively. Postsurgery, patients enjoyed eating healthy foods more (63%), exercise more (46%), eating junk food less (66%), and overeating less (95%). Increased enjoyment of healthy foods and exercise were only associated with weight loss success among patients with surgery ‡24 months previously. While obtaining external support was associated with successful weight loss overall, external support correlated with enjoying healthy food and exercise more in patients who had had their surgery at least 60 months previously. Discussion: Learning to enjoy health-promoting behaviors after bariatric surgery may not coincide with improved weight loss outcomes before 2 years have passed. { This article is a revised version of a previously published article that was withdrawn due to a large number of reporting and formatting errors. This version was published on

Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 2016

Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing... more Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.

Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2016

Boundary research can be risky, but it can also move academic disciplines into wider areas of inf... more Boundary research can be risky, but it can also move academic disciplines into wider areas of influence. Fittingly, this new journal's mission is to expand the boundaries of consumer behavior and to deepen its impact. Each issue focuses on having an impact both in consumer research and beyond. In the context of the behavioral science of eating, we outline the process for recruiting papers and coaching them through the review process so that authors think more precisely about the impact they want to have and think more broadly about how it illustrates a larger impactful theme.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2003

For marketers, health professionals, and parents, improving nutrition is essentially a process of... more For marketers, health professionals, and parents, improving nutrition is essentially a process of encouraging consumers to make healthful choices that improve their well-being. What happens, however, when we believe contamination, terrorism, or a genetic incidence threatens a part of the food supply? Sometimes such crises influence the recall, redesign, and communication efforts of individual companies; other times they threaten entire industries. After showing how consumer attitudes toward food safety are formed, this review distinguishes

International journal of obesity (2005), 2015

Many eating studies in psychology, consumer behavior and marketing journals are dismissed, becaus... more Many eating studies in psychology, consumer behavior and marketing journals are dismissed, because they focus on how much one serves and not how much is eaten. We develop a means of estimating the percentage of self-served food that is consumed under various conditions. An aggregate analysis was conducted of studies where participants served themselves food and where actual intake was measured. Analyses explored what percentage of food was consumed depending on population, food and situational cues and generally showed that adults consistently consume the vast majority (91.7%) of what they serve themselves. This was higher for meals (92.8%) than for snacks (76.1%) and higher when a person was not distracted (97.1%) than when he or she was distracted (88.8%). The percentage eaten did not vary between lab (90.7%) and field settings (91.9%). Because many eating behavior studies outside of nutrition measure food selection, but not intake, the aggregate estimates presented in this resear...

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2014

What percentage of the food you serve do you eat? If we could provide estimates of how much food ... more What percentage of the food you serve do you eat? If we could provide estimates of how much food people took they actually ate, this would open the door for a huge number of studies in in psychology, marketing, economics, and consumer behavior that have been dismissed or overlooked by nutrition and public health because they measured how much subjects served, but not how much they ate. Providing this "percent eaten" estimate was the objective of Wansink and Johnson. After aggregating results from a wide number of self-served meals and snacks, one conclusion was that most adults are members of the clean plate club. Regardless of their sex or ethnicity, it was estimated the average adult in these studies ate approximately 92% (unweighted by sample size) of what they served.In a thoughtful critique of this figure, Robinson et al raise excellent points that suggest this 92% figure is an upper bound, and perhaps even an overestimate of the actual percentage of self-served food a person consumes. One of their points is that many of these studies were lab-based studies where people knew they were being observed and may have acted differently in real life – perhaps serving more and eating less of it with the variation of plate size or perhaps by being less self conscious about serving a second or third helping.What also needs more examination and exploration is the somewhat contrary result that adults consumed a much greater percent of what they served than children. That is, while adults ate between 88.7% (when weighted by study sample sizes) and 92% (when averaged across studies), children (mostly elementary school aged) only ate an average of 59% of what they served themselves. Part of this could be explained these 326 children perhaps 1) not being aware of how hungry they are, 2) not being well-calibrated to know how much food would fill them up, 3) not knowing how much they will like a particularly new food, or 4) not ignoring their internal cues of satiety. This can also vary depending on whether the children are eating their food with utensils or with their hands, whether they are with friends, and whether they are extroverted or introverted.Robinson, et al’s excellent point about context is again relevant in our estimate that children eat only 59% of what they self-serve. Each of six studies used to arrive at this 59% figure were studies where children were not eating in the presence of their parents. Perhaps in the presence of their parents, this number is notably higher. Yet to a loving, but frustrated parent who wants their non-cooperating child to be a vegetable-eating member of the clean plate club, these lab results provide a powerful hidden value. They show that a child who only eats half to two-thirds of the food they serve themselves isn’t being wasteful, belligerent, or disrespectful. They are just being normal children. This should provide comfort and reduced anxiety for frustrated clean plate club parents.

The FASEB Journal, Apr 1, 2011

Obesity has been linked to large portions of caloric, convenient, tempting, inexpensive food. The... more Obesity has been linked to large portions of caloric, convenient, tempting, inexpensive food. These factors meet for lunch everyday at the growing number of all-you-can-eat restaurants and buffets. We investigated how a wide range of environmental variables and seemingly unrelated eating behaviors relate to how many times a person refills their plate while at the buffet. Trained observers recorded the height, weight, sex, age, and behavior of 387 patrons at Chinese all-you-can-eat restaurants. Various seating, serving, and eating behaviors were then compared across BMI levels. These included whether used larger plates vs. smaller plates (OR 1.16, P < 0.01), faced the buffet or away from it (OR 1.10, P < 0.001), whether they used chopsticks vs. forks (OR 0.90, P < 0.05), whether they browsed the buffet before eating vs. serving themselves immediately (OR 0.92, P < 0.001), and the number of average times they chewed their food. Interestingly, these Chinese buffet observations provide consistent ecological v...

A conceptual marketing-finance framework is proposed which links channel contracting in agricultu... more A conceptual marketing-finance framework is proposed which links channel contracting in agriculture and the use of financial facilitating services (e.g., financial derivatives) to (shareholder) value creation. The framework complements existing literature by explicitly including channel contract relationships as market-based assets that can be managed to reduce cash flow volatility and hence increase shareholder value. We show how financial facilitating services (e.g., derivatives) can be used to complement the cash flows components of channel contract relationships thereby further reducing the risk adjusted cost of capital and improving shareholder value. In a field study of producers, wholesalers, and processors, in the potato and meat industry the framework shows how shareholder value can be enhanced by using financial facilitating services, such as derivatives, to complement marketing channel relationships. Moreover, this study shows how producers and managers from agribusiness ...

Using psychological terms such as cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias, this study reveals ... more Using psychological terms such as cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias, this study reveals how individual consumers inadequately process (food safety) information, pay limited attention to signals, and make purchase decisions that are bias towards their initial choices. While it is expected that reading extra information about potential risk associated with the food decreases consumers' willingness to pay (WTP), the magnitude of the impact varies across individuals. In general, consumer's judgment and information processing depend a lot on their initial beliefs or consumption status. They tend to use higher bidding prices to justify previous behaviors and selectively pay attention to information in favor of their initial choices. Using an incentive compatible auction mechanism, this study elicited consumers' WTP under different informational settings. Results showed that consumers bid much higher when they chose to commit to food items (treatment) than when they we...

Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 2012

Proceedings, 1999 Marketing Science Conference May 20-23, Syracuse, New York, USA

Proceedings INFORMS 2000 Marketing Science Conference, June 22-25, Los Angeles, California, USA.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2015

This article aims to identify antecedents of food waste among lower-middle class families – a par... more This article aims to identify antecedents of food waste among lower-middle class families – a paradox, given the financial constraints this population faces. The importance of this research is evident in escalating environmental pressures for better use of our planet’s scarce resources. Given that most of the world is low-income, any behavioral change in this population is likely to have a considerable impact. Empirical data were collected from 14 lower-middle income Brazilian households, based on observations, in-depth interviews, photographs and a focus group (n=6). Five major categories of food waste antecedents were identified: (1) excessive purchasing, (2) over-preparation, (3) caring for a pet, (4) avoidance of leftovers and (5) inappropriate food conservation. Several subcategories were also found, including impulse buying, lack of planning and preference for large packages. Surprisingly, findings show that strategies used to save money – such as buying groceries in bulk, monthly shopping trips, preference for supermarkets and cooking from scratch – actually end up generating more food waste. This mitigates the savings made during the purchasing phase.

The Behavioral Foundations of Public Policy

Bariatric Surgical Practice and Patient Care, 2017

Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 2016

Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2016

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2003

International journal of obesity (2005), 2015

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2014

The FASEB Journal, Apr 1, 2011

Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 2012

Proceedings, 1999 Marketing Science Conference May 20-23, Syracuse, New York, USA

Proceedings INFORMS 2000 Marketing Science Conference, June 22-25, Los Angeles, California, USA.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2015

Where have all the saxophones gone in pop music? Quantifying their popularity over time could giv... more Where have all the saxophones gone in pop music? Quantifying their popularity over time could give useful insights into the trends and psychology behind hit songs. An analysis was conducted of 1081 Top 40 songs (1955-2020) with sax solos. A rollercoaster of popularity was found with two dramatic peaks in the early 1960s and again 20 years later in the early 1980s. By 1990, the number of sax solos has dropped to almost zero where it remains today. The tenor saxophone comprised 63.2% of the solos in this time period (alto 34.1%; baritone 8.7%; soprano 4.4%). Interestingly, while the popularity of the baritone decreased with time (p < .01), the popularity of the soprano increased (p = .021) probably because its ability to cut through busy songs. This general trend corresponds with changes in technology (the prevalence of synthesizers), economics (the cost of saxophone players), and taste-the latter of which appears to be more influenced both by individual creative artists and by bold players than previously thought. There are promising implications for educators and musicians of all instruments.

What can a parent, peer, or professional say to a bullied and body shamed child? This research el... more What can a parent, peer, or professional say to a bullied and body shamed child? This research elicited and categorized the words that were reported as being most memorably hurtful and helpful to 341 young people (79.5% female; average age 25.03 years) who had been body shamed. The most memorably hurtful comments generally involved

Can visual plate-related dietary guidance systems-such as the MyPlate guideline or the Half-Plate... more Can visual plate-related dietary guidance systems-such as the MyPlate guideline or the Half-Plate Rule-help people eat better when dining at home or in restaurants? To help explore this, 104 young adults completed a food diary study after having been randomly assigned to follow either 1) USDA MyPlate guidelines, 2) the Half-Plate Rule, or 3) no guidelines (control condition). Both of the visual dietary guidance systems were considered easy to understand, to follow, and left people with fewer questions about what to eat (all p<.01). Moreover, people who rated a system "easy to follow" indicated they had consumed less (meat (r = .268), but this was uncorrelated with fruit and vegetable intake (r =.092) and carbohydrate intake (r = .069). There are three key conclusions to these and other findings: First, the simplest guidance system may be more effective than no system. Second, even the most perfect dietary guidance system will not change behavior if the foods are not available or it is not followed. Third, guidance systems could over-increase the consumption of any food they specifically mention.

In 2018, six of my research articles in JAMA-related journals were retracted. These retractions o... more In 2018, six of my research articles in JAMA-related journals
were retracted. These retractions offer some useful lessons to
scholars, and they also offer some useful next steps to those who
want to publish eating behavior research in medical journals or in the
social sciences.

These six different papers offer some topic-related roadmaps
that could be useful. First, they were originally of interest to journals
in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) network,
and they would probably be of interest to other journals in medicine,
behavioral economics, marketing, nutrition, psychology, health, and
consumer behavior. Second, they each show what a finished paper
might look like. They show the positioning, relevant background
research, methodological approach, and relevance to clinical practice
or to everyday life.

I think all of these topics are interesting and have every-day
importance. This document provides a two-page template for each
one that shows 1) An overview why it was done, 2) the abstract (or
a summary if there was no abstract), 3) the reason it was retracted,
4) how it could be done differently, and 5) promising new research
opportunities on the topic.

In 2017-19, about 18 of my research articles were retracted. These retractions offer some useful... more In 2017-19, about 18 of my research articles were retracted. These
retractions offer some useful lessons to scholars, and they also offer some
useful next steps to those who want to publish in the social sciences. Two of
these steps include 1) Choose a publishable topic, and 2) have a rough mental
roadmap of what the finished paper might look. That is, what’s the positioning,
the study, and the possible contribution.

The topics I’ve described here offer one set of roadmaps that could
be useful. First, they were of interest to journals in medicine, behavioral
economics, marketing, nutrition, psychology, health, and consumer behavior.
Second, they each show what a finished paper might look like. They show
the positioning, relevant background research, methodological tips, and key
implications.

I find all of these topics super interesting and of practical importance.
This document provides a two-page template for each one that shows 1) An
overview why it was done, 2) the abstract (or a summary if there was no
abstract), 3) the reason it was retracted, 4) how it could be done differently,
and 5) promising new research opportunities on the topic.

Context: The Effects of Environment on Product Design and Evaluation , 2019

Watching people can be better than listening to them. Observational research can illuminate the u... more Watching people can be better than listening to them. Observational research can illuminate the unconscious behaviors that lead to breakthrough solutions to problems. This chapter is a manual on to use observational research to solve problems. Specifically, it focuses on how to find potential breakthrough insights, how to confirm them (using quantitative coding), and how to use the results to develop solutions to problems.