Public Seminar - Physical Activity and Nutrition

This public seminar hosted by the University of Newcastle Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition presents Assistant Professor Simone Dohle from the University of Cologne, Germany.

Does self-prepared food taste better? Experimental evidence and practical implications

Assistant Professor Simone Dohle

University of Cologne, Germany

Research has demonstrated that people like and overvalue objects that they have created themselves. This phenomenon appears to be a very basic process and might be best explained as effort justification. In her presentation, Simone will present experimental research that examined if self-preparation of food increases liking. In a series of studies, participants tasted foods that were either self-prepared or other-prepared, i.e., prepared by the experimenter. Generally, people like food more if they prepared it. Additional evidence, however, also indicated that this effect is particularly strong for markedly healthy foods. Possible implication of these studies will be discussed, including suggestions how to nudge food preparation in homes, schools, and workplaces.

Simone Dohle is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Cologne, Germany. She received her PhD in Psychology from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and was a postdoctoral and senior researcher at the Consumer Behavior Group at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Simone's research is devoted to the application of social psychology to problems of the society. In particular, her research interests focus on health behavior change and determinants of healthy eating and physical activity. She has a strong background in experimental research, but her research also includes the analysis of experience sampling and survey data.

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