God Salience Increases Preference for Ultra-Processed Foods, New Study Finds

A series of six experiments conducted by Ali Gohary (La Trobe University) and Hean Tat Keh (Monash University) demonstrate that brief exposure to religious symbols or language—referred to as “God salience”—raises participants’ willingness to select ultra-processed foods over natural alternatives. The effect appears specific to foods perceived as unhealthy; preferences for healthier-framed items remain unchanged.

Psypost

Ultra-processed foods—industrial products such as baked goods, salty snacks, flavored drinks, hash browns, and sugary date truffles—dominate modern diets and are linked to obesity and cardiovascular disease. Compensatory control theory posits that individuals seek external sources of order (e.g., a deity) when confronting physical vulnerability or psychological stress. The researchers hypothesized that reminders of a benevolent, healing deity could create a “divine safety net,” reducing dietary self-control.

Psypost

• Ali Gohary, Senior Lecturer, La Trobe University, Australia

Psypost

• Hean Tat Keh, Lecturer, Monash University, Australia

Psypost

Their collaborative project, titled “God’s Presence in the Aisle: How God Salience Encourages Preference for Ultra-Processed Foods,” isolates momentary spiritual activation from deep-seated religious devotion.

Psypost

1. Bible-Verse Condition – College students who read Bible verses showed increased willingness to eat highly processed hash browns, while desire for plain baked potatoes stayed constant.

Psypost

2. Prayer-Call Condition – Participants exposed to a prayer broadcast chose sugary date truffles over natural dates at a significantly higher rate.

Psypost

3. Writing Prompt Condition – Online respondents instructed to write about God (versus daily routine) subsequently selected more processed items in a simulated grocery task. The shift correlated with heightened expectations of divine healing, not with general optimism.

Psypost

4. Product Framing Condition – A religious video boosted appeal only for an unhealthy peanut-butter variant (cookie-dough and chocolate-chip version). When the same product was framed as protein-rich and low-salt, preferences did not change.

Psypost

5. Predictability Manipulation – Descriptions portraying God’s health influence as consistent and predictable led to greater selection of processed foods, whereas portrayals of divine action as mysterious reduced the effect.

Psypost

Across all conditions, the presence of spiritual cues consistently elevated the perceived acceptability of foods with known health risks.

Psypost

• The researchers note that “these results carry practical implications for public health messaging and food marketing.”

Psypost

• They further assert that “general hope or optimism did not yield the same dietary shift; only the specific belief in divine restoration pushed consumers toward unhealthy choices.”

Psypost

The study’s focus is limited to monotheistic contexts. The authors acknowledge that “conceptions of the divine vary widely across global cultures,” and that traditions emphasizing a punitive deity might produce opposite dietary restraint. Consequently, the findings may not generalize to polytheistic or non-theistic populations.

Psypost

No contradictory evidence appears within the source material. Notable gaps include the absence of real-world purchase data and reliance on laboratory or online simulations rather than longitudinal field studies.

Psypost

The authors propose extending investigations to regional religious density analyses using grocery scanner data, and exploring how faith-based health initiatives might unintentionally undermine nutritional goals when spiritual framing creates perceived immunity to dietary harms.

Psypost

---

Psypost

*The study underscores a nuanced intersection between spirituality and consumer behavior, suggesting that even fleeting religious cues can subtly erode dietary self-control and shape public-health outcomes.*

Psypost