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The relationship of health-related expectancies, fruit and vegetable intake, and positive mood: expectancies are important, but not in the way you expect

Elliot Smith (Macquarie University, North Ryde, Australia)
Richard Stevenson (Macquarie University, North Ryde, Australia)
Leah Dudley (Macquarie University, North Ryde, Australia)
Heather Francis (Macquarie University, North Ryde, Australia)

British Food Journal

ISSN: 0007-070X

Article publication date: 22 July 2021

Issue publication date: 8 February 2022

491

Abstract

Purpose

Greater fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake has been linked to more positive mood. Here, the purpose of this paper is to examine if this relationship is mediated by expectancies about their benefit to health/mental health.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants completed a new questionnaire to assess expectancies related to F&V intake. This was administered alongside a validated food-frequency measure of F&V intake, an assessment of positive and negative mood state and other measures.

Findings

Participants held strongly positive expectations about the physical and mental health benefits of consuming F&V. The authors observed a significant relationship between self-reported F&V intake and positive mood (d = 0.52). Importantly, this effect was largely (but not completely) independent of expectancies. The authors also observed that expectancies about F&V intake were independently predictive of positive mood (d = 0.47).

Originality/value

This is the first study to explore expectancy effects in the mental health benefits of F&V intake. These data suggest that positive expectancies about F&V intake, and F&V intake itself, are both predictive of positive mood. The former finding is probably a placebo effect, whereby people believe they are consuming sufficient F&V (even if they are not) and so experience mood-related benefits due to their positive expectations. The latter finding is consistent with F&V exerting a biologically beneficial effect on the brain.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Data availability statement: Data is available from the corresponding author on request.

Disclosure statement: The authors report no actual or perceived conflicts of interest.

Citation

Smith, E., Stevenson, R., Dudley, L. and Francis, H. (2022), "The relationship of health-related expectancies, fruit and vegetable intake, and positive mood: expectancies are important, but not in the way you expect", British Food Journal, Vol. 124 No. 3, pp. 885-897. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-03-2021-0289

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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