A View to a Choice: Can Displaying a Healthy Item to the Left (Versus Right) of an Unhealthy Item Nudge Healthier Choices?—An Abstract

Would the lateral display patterns of food items influence choice? More specifically, would having healthy item(s) displayed on the left and unhealthy item(s) displayed on the right lead to different choice outcomes than having the items displayed in the opposite pattern? This research examines how the lateral (left vs. right) positions of healthy and unhealthy items influence choice and consumption. The results of multiple studies demonstrate that displaying healthy items to the left and unhealthy items to the right enhances preference for the healthy options. In addition, consumption volume of a healthy item (vis-à-vis an unhealthy item) is higher when it is placed to the left (vs. right) of the unhealthy item. We also demonstrate process evidence through tests of mediation.

We propose that consumers’ natural tendency is to mentally organize healthy items to the left of unhealthy items. We base this proposition on research related to spatial representation of magnitude. Research shows that individuals hold a generalized system of magnitude representation in which dimensions such as time duration, number magnitude, and spatial extent are mentally organized as left-to-right (Walsh 2003). In the context of foods, healthy items are considered less heavy (Deng and Kahn 2009), deemed lower in calories (Chandon and Wansink 2007), believed to be less filling (Oakes 2006), and even perceived as less tasty (Raghunathan et al. 2006) than unhealthy items. Since stimuli of lower magnitude tend to be mentally organized on the left and those of higher magnitude tend to be mentally represented on the right, we propose that consumers arrange healthy items to the left of unhealthy items. Furthermore, a “healthy-left, unhealthy-right” lateral display pattern is congruent with consumers’ mental organization of food items varying in healthfulness, which enhances ease of processing and self-control, thereby leading to a relatively higher likelihood of choosing healthy options.

Our research has important conceptual and practical implications. While prior studies have examined the role of several different factors in influencing choices between healthy and unhealthy options, the present research is the first to demonstrate the effects of lateral display positions of healthy/unhealthy options on choice and consumption. Furthermore, given recent concerns related to obesity and factors influencing choices for healthy (vs. unhealthy) options, understanding how visual cues influence choice has important implications for designing menus, website, and even retail display patterns.