When people encounter subtle reminders of God in their daily lives, they are more likely to choose unhealthy junk food over natural options. Recent research published in psychology and marketing suggests that spiritual cues create a subconscious awareness of divine healing, which reduces a person’s dietary self-control. These findings highlight how psychological safety nets can unintentionally foster risky eating habits in consumer decision-making.
Religion and spirituality shape human behavior across cultures. Nearly 40 percent of Americans pray to God for improved health or healing from illness. However, momentary exposure to religious symbols can influence choices independently of one’s deeply held institutional beliefs.
This phenomenon is known as “divine salience.” This refers to the momentary activation of God-related thoughts triggered by environmental cues, from banknotes to religious architecture. Researchers aim to separate this temporary activation of spiritual concepts from deep-rooted religious beliefs.
Lead researcher Ali Gorey from La Trobe University and colleague Heen Tat Kay from Monash University wanted to investigate how these momentary spiritual memories influence daily food choices. They focused on ultra-processed foods, which are industrially formulated items that are loaded with additives. Examples include baked goods, salty snacks, and flavored drinks.
Nutritionists classify foods according to their level of processing based on a standard nutritional framework. Significantly modified items dominate the modern global diet due to their taste, affordability, and convenience. Medical experts frequently warn that high consumption of these products can lead to obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Consumers are generally aware that ultra-processed foods are harmful to physical health. This realization causes mental conflict when a person is tempted to eat something extremely luxurious. Researchers used compensatory control theory to understand how people resolve this conflict. This psychological framework proposes that people seek external sources of order, such as a governing God, when faced with physical vulnerability or internal psychological stress.
In the context of symbolic healing, interaction with God can shift a person’s focus to faith-based recovery. Spiritual people often rely on non-medical mechanisms such as prayers and rituals to cope with illness. The researchers thought that reminding people of God might reduce consumers’ concerns about the health risks of processed foods.
Those who feel that a higher power will heal the negative consequences may indulge more freely. Some people may admit that certain snacks are bad for them, but still feel protected by a sacred safety net. Gorey and Kaye tested their idea through a series of six experiments.
In the first clinical test, researchers asked a group of college students to read a Bible verse. Another group read neutral passages about everyday objects. Next, participants viewed images of a plain baked potato and a highly processed hash brown.
Researchers found that reading religious texts increased students’ willingness to eat hash browns. Their desire for natural roasted sweet potatoes remained unchanged. This early testing suggested that spiritual cues specifically change the way people evaluate foods with known health risks.
To see if this effect occurs outside of awareness, the research team used an implicit auditory test that included background music. Online participants listened to short clips of Whitney Houston’s holiday tracks. Half listened to the religious hymn “Silent Night,” and the other half listened to the secular song “Deck the Holes.” After listening to the audio, participants completed a hypothetical grocery shopping task.
People who listened to religious songs chose more processed foods, such as strawberry-flavored water and sweet cereal. Listeners exposed to this worldly tune preferred natural spring water and plain rolled oats. The results confirmed that divine reminders shape preferences, even when the cues operate subtly in the background.
The team then moved their research to a real-world environment. They conducted a field experiment inside a large administrative building in Iran. Some participants were called out immediately after the Islamic call to prayer was broadcast. Others approached two hours after the psychic clues disappeared.
Participants chose between natural dates and processed date truffles. People were much more likely to choose sweet date truffles immediately after hearing the call to prayer. Religious broadcasting temporarily shifted their tastes away from natural, unprocessed fruits.
The researchers wanted to understand the psychological mechanisms that drive these choices. They instructed online participants to write about God or about their daily lives. Respondents then completed a grocery shopping task and answered questions about their emotional states and mental beliefs.
The results directly showed that healing was perceived. Exposure to spiritual ideas helped people feel that God would repair them after a health crisis. The researchers noted that general hope and optimism do not lead to the same dietary changes, ruling out other possible explanations. Only a certain belief in divine restoration drove consumers to make unhealthy choices.
A series of psychological processes occurred during the experiment. Thoughts about God increased one’s perception of a divine being, which increased expectations for healing and ultimately led to poor food choices. Respondents offset their feelings of dietary guilt by deferring physiological safety to external agents.
Not all processed foods have a strong junk food bias, so the team used peanut butter to test the boundary conditions. They created two fictitious product descriptions. One version added cookie dough and chocolate chips, suggesting it was an unhealthy option. The other emphasizes whey protein and sea salt, positioning it as a healthy option.
Participants watched either a preacher’s video or an oil painter’s video. This religious video only increased the appeal of unhealthy peanut butter. When food appears healthy, the threat of eating is low and the psychological need to seek divine protection is gone.
Finally, the researchers investigated how the perceived predictability of divine intervention changes daily eating habits. They asked internet participants to read fabricated scientific articles. Some versions of the text claimed that God’s influence on human health was very consistent and predictable. In other versions, God’s actions in the world are described as completely mysterious and unknowable. The control group read about entirely secular health effects without any mention of higher abilities.
Readers who encountered a predictable God chose more processed foods. When divine intervention seemed completely unpredictable, people were more careful with their diet. Relying on God as a safety net requires a certain amount of faith in consistent rules.
The researchers note that these results have practical implications for public health messaging and food marketing. Faith-based health initiatives often combine nutritional education with spiritual teachings to help communities combat obesity. When religious frameworks make believers feel immune to bad eating habits, public health advocates can unintentionally undermine their goals.
For food manufacturers, using spiritual themes in advertising can skew how shoppers assess physical risks. Places of worship may also consider replacing sweet treats often served at community gatherings with natural alternatives. Ensuring secular music is played in retail environments could also be a simple intervention to promote healthier choices.
Still, this study primarily focuses on monotheistic belief systems. Concepts of God vary widely across cultures around the world. Some religions emphasize a God who punishes rather than a benevolent and healing figure. An angry mental framework can lead to restraint rather than self-indulgence.
Researchers should investigate how polytheistic or non-deistic traditions influence consumer restraint. Future research could also link local religious density to data from daily grocery scanners. Analyzing physical purchases can help experts examine how the mental environment changes long-term consumption trends on a broader scale.
The study, “God’s Presence in the Aisle: How God’s Salience Encourages Preference for Ultra-Processed Foods,” was authored by Ali Gohary and Hean Tat Keh.
