Food categorization flexibility increases the preference for indulgent foods

Categorization flexibility, the extent of cross-categorization of objects into multiple categories, has been studied in prior research as an outcome variable. We study categorization flexibility as an independent variable and in the food domain show its influence on preference for hedonic or indulgent food items. Hedonic food items are attractive due to their tastiness but also unattractive due to their caloricity and thus consumers feel inhibited to choose them. We argue that food categorization flexibility exerts a disinhibitive influence which facilitates preference for hedonic food items. We show such a prohedonic effect (using real as well as hypothetical food items) by measuring as well as manipulating categorization flexibility and also that this effect occurs mainly for those with higher (vs. lower) inhibition for hedonic consumption: due to a prevention (vs. promotion) or due to a hyperopic (vs. myopic) psychological state. Our results suggest that while marketers of hedonic foods may improve sales by promoting more food-situation associations, consumers' health will be better served if consumers develop fewer, beneficial food-situation associations.