Prospect theory and body mass: characterizing psychological parameters for weight-related risk attitudes and weight-gain aversion

Frontiers in Psychology

Seung-Lark Lim¹ 

关键词: decision-making;    prospect theory;    loss aversion;    risk seeking;    obesity;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00330

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

We developed a novel decision-making paradigm that allows us to apply prospect theory in behavioral economics to body mass. 67 healthy young adults completed self-report measures and two decision-making tasks for weight-loss, as well as for monetary rewards. We estimated risk-related preference and loss aversion parameters for each individual, separately for weight-loss and monetary rewards choice data. Risk-seeking tendency for weight-loss was positively correlated with body mass index in individuals who desired to lose body weight, whereas the risk-seeking for momentary rewards was not. Risk-seeking for weight-loss was correlated to excessive body shape preoccupations, while aversion to weight-gain was correlated with self-reports of behavioral involvement for successful weight-loss. We demonstrated that prospect theory can be useful in explaining the decision-making process related to body mass. Applying prospect theory is expected to advance our understanding of decision-making mechanisms in obesity, which might prove helpful for improving healthy choices.

【 授权许可】

CC BY