Self-control as a Signal of Status

Six studies investigate whether consumers choose healthier foods, in part, to signal a higher status to others. We find that consumers who desire higher status prefer healthier meals in public settings. Desire for status increases healthier choices because people believe such choices demonstrate self-control, and that people of higher status possess more self-control; thus, healthier choices can signal a higher status. Accordingly, consumers perceive others who choose healthier foods as having a higher status and as having more self-control. Furthermore, desire to signal status increases healthy food choices, but only, as we theorize, among consumers holding a belief that status is positively associated with self-control. For instance, consumers with a desire for higher status flaunt healthy meal choices by selecting transparent containers for healthy—but not unhealthy—foods. We rule out an alternative account that healthier foods are more expensive and a desire for expensive products drives our effect. In showing that healthier choices can serve status-signaling needs and why, we present a novel theory with notable implications for consumers and marketers.