Calories. We see them on display everywhere from the nutrition labels on products to the items on menus. Many of us will evaluate a food’s healthiness based on the number of calories, but does that mean we are making healthy decisions?
This question is at the heart of a new study co-authored by Deidre Popovich, associate professor of marketing at Texas Tech University’s Jerry S. Rawls College of Business. Popovich and co-author Ryan Hamilton (Emory University) argue knowing the calorie content of foods does not necessarily lead to consumers making healthier judgments. In fact, it can often lead to the exact opposite.