Achieving a healthy and sustainable food pattern is an increasingly urgent matter. Decades of research have demonstrated that social influence plays a big role in what and how much people consume. For example, this influence is noticeable in the portion sizes we accept as normal, the types of food we prefer to eat alone, and the consideration we give to health and sustainability aspects of our weekly shopping. However, attempts to use this influence in behavior change interventions, such as nudges, has had mixed success.
In this special issue of Social Influence we call for manuscripts and registered reports that examine the effectiveness of nudges that rely on social influence in the food domain. In particular, we welcome theoretical substantiated empirical studies in field, lab and online contexts that provide insights into the working mechanisms of the intervention with special regard to the heterogenous qualities of the target audience (e.g., active social identities, food culture).
