We are what we eat: Cross‐cultural self‐prioritization effects for food stimuli.

Previous research has shown that the concept of self is malleable and can be associated with various arbitrary stimuli. This study explored whether the self could be linked to images of food representative of one's own or a different culture. We compared two groups, Italian and Japanese individuals,...

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Publicado en:British Journal of Psychology Vol. 117; no. 1; pp. 177 - 192
Autores principales: Dalmaso, Mario, Vicovaro, Michele, Saito, Toshiki, Watanabe, Katsumi
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell Feb2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: We are what we eat: Cross‐cultural self‐prioritization effects for food stimuli.
      aug:
        au:
          Dalmaso, Mario
          Vicovaro, Michele
          Saito, Toshiki
          Watanabe, Katsumi
        affil:
          Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
          Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
          Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
          Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
      su:
        Italy
        Japan
        Food consumption
        Hunger
        Food habits
        Self-perception
        Cultural pluralism
        Statistical correlation
        Research funding
        Body mass index
        Questionnaires
        Descriptive statistics
        Research
        Food preferences
        Data analysis software
        Comparative studies
      sug:
        subj:
          Food consumption
          Hunger
          Food habits
          Self-perception
          Cultural pluralism
          Italy
          Japan
          Statistical correlation
          Research funding
          Body mass index
          Questionnaires
          Descriptive statistics
          Research
          Food preferences
          Data analysis software
          Comparative studies
      keyword:
        cross‐cultural comparison
        food perception
        perceptual matching task
        self‐prioritization effect
        cross‐cultural comparison
        food perception
        perceptual matching task
        self‐prioritization effect
      ab: Previous research has shown that the concept of self is malleable and can be associated with various arbitrary stimuli. This study explored whether the self could be linked to images of food representative of one's own or a different culture. We compared two groups, Italian and Japanese individuals, whose cultures are both characterized by rich and distinctive food traditions. Participants performed a perceptual matching task, associating themselves with either Italian or Japanese food, depending on the block. They also reported their food habits and preferences. The findings revealed that, in both groups, the self could extend to include food stimuli from both cultural categories. However, the self was more strongly associated with food typical of the participant's own culture. Additionally, this association was unrelated to reluctance to try unfamiliar foods, as measured by the Food Neophobia Scale. These results underscore the central role of food in shaping personal identity, supporting the hypothesis of a modulatory effect of valence on the strength of self‐association with arbitrary items and suggesting that self‐related food associations may influence food preferences.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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