Enhancing dieters' perseverance in adversity: How counterfactual thinking increases use of digital health tracking tools

Abstract

Objectives: Dieting is a cognitively taxing task that does not always advance well-being. A dieting lapse may result in overconsumption that undermines long-term health goals. This research explores how a process known as counterfactual thinking (CFT), reliving an event to figure out where things went wrong, may help consumers faced with a temptation to indulge. Consumers who engage in upward CFT generate an alternative set of steps or actions that could have changed the outcome in a situation. We investigate if and how CFT may be used strategically to help consumers stick to their dieting goal and advance their own well-being.

Methods: A 2 (CFT vs. control) x 2 (dieter vs. non-dieter) between-subjects factorial design was used to evaluate participant interest in a digital health tracking tool after viewing an advertisement (Study 1). Study 2 was conducted as a follow-up to measure their use of the digital tracking tool, intentions to continue to use, and calories consumed (as tracked in the system) after a two-week period using the digital tracking tool advertised in Study 1.

Results: We find that engaging in upward CFT increases a dieter's intentions to track their food, a practice emerging as a strategy to help maintain goal consistency. Among dieters, perceived feasibility mediated the impact of CFT on both ad evaluations (Study 1) as well as intentions to continue to use the digital health tracking tool (Study 2). In the follow-up study we also find that dieters in the CFT condition used more of the online features offered and that all consumers in the CFT condition ate marginally fewer calories across two weeks of tracking using the digital health tool.

Discussion: Encouraging consumers to generate upward counterfactual thoughts in the face of a dieting lapse increases their propensity to use an online tracking tool and reduces calories consumed. In the age of digital tracking tools, personalized prompts could be set to encourage CFT to help get a consumer back on track to pursue their healthy eating goals.

Keywords: Counterfactual thinking; Dieting; Digital health tools; Food well-being.