God's Presence in the Aisle: How God Salience Encourages Preference for Ultra‐Processed Foods
研究发现，当消费者想到上帝时，更可能选择超加工食品，因为他们相信上帝会减轻这些食品的健康危害，但这种效应只在认为上帝干预可预测时出现。
ABSTRACT God‐related cues are pervasive in consumers' daily lives, yet little research has examined how God salience shapes consumer food choices. Drawing on compensatory control theory and the literature on symbolic healing, we present findings from six studies, including a field experiment, demonstrating that high (vs. low) God salience increases consumers' likelihood of choosing ultra‐processed foods relative to unprocessed foods. This effect is mediated by perceived healing by God, such that heightened God salience leads consumers to believe that God will heal or mitigate the potential negative health consequences of consuming ultra‐processed foods. Importantly, this effect is moderated by the perceived predictability of God's intervention, such that the preference for ultra‐processed foods emerges when God's intervention is perceived as predictable and attenuates when it is perceived as unpredictable. We further show that God salience increases preferences for ultra‐processed foods when the foods are explicitly framed as unhealthy rather than healthy. Together, these findings advance theory on religion and consumer decision‐making and offer actionable implications for policymakers, marketers, and consumers seeking to promote healthier consumption choices.