a Faculty of Economics and Business, Department of HRM&OB , University of Groningen , Groningen , The Netherlands.
Psychol Health. 2015;30(2):233-51. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2014.969730. Epub 2014 Oct 20.
As public discourse surrounding obesity highlights the societal costs of obesity and individual's own responsibility for their weight, being overweight is often framed as immoral. Such 'moralizing' messages about being overweight may be a psychological threat for those with high body mass. Attempting to counter-moralise the public discourse (i.e. actively arguing that there is nothing 'immoral' about being overweight) may relieve this threat, inducing people, especially those with higher (perceived) weight, to engage in healthier behaviours.
Two experiments were performed among Dutch and US participants. (Counter-)moralisation was manipulated. Body mass and weight-related self-perceptions were measured. The dependent variable was healthy vs. unhealthy snack choice.
(Counter-)moralisation and (perceived) overweight jointly predicted snack choice: counter-moralising messages induced healthy snacking, but only among those who regarded themselves to have a high body mass.
The effects of moralising vs. counter-moralising obesity depended on one's (perceived) overweight. This suggests that, for people with relatively high weight, the current moralising public discourse on obesity works in counterproductive ways. Campaigns that 'counter-moralize' obesity (i.e. that refute moralising messages) are more productive, although they should be tailored to those who see themselves as being overweight.
随着公众对肥胖问题的讨论强调了肥胖对社会的成本以及个人对自己体重的责任，超重往往被视为不道德的。这种关于超重的“道德化”信息可能对那些体重较高的人构成心理威胁。试图反驳公众对肥胖的这种“道德化”言论（即积极主张超重没有任何“不道德”之处）可能会减轻这种威胁，促使人们，尤其是那些（感知到的）体重较高的人，采取更健康的行为。
在荷兰和美国的参与者中进行了两项实验。（反）道德化被操纵。测量了体重和与体重相关的自我认知。因变量是健康与不健康的零食选择。
（反）道德化和（感知到的）超重共同预测了零食选择：反道德化的信息会诱导健康的零食选择，但只在那些认为自己体重较高的人中才会出现。
对肥胖进行道德化与反道德化的效果取决于一个人的（感知到的）超重情况。这表明，对于那些体重相对较高的人来说，当前肥胖问题上的道德化公众话语产生了适得其反的效果。“反道德化”肥胖的运动（即反驳道德化信息）更有成效，尽管这些运动应该针对那些认为自己超重的人。
