Nudging Behavior Change: Using In-Group and Out-Group Social Comparisons to Encourage Healthier Choices

This paper revisits concepts of nudge in the context of helping consumers to make healthier food choices. We introduce a novel form of social influence nudge not yet investigated by HCI scholars, the out-group social comparison, and test whether this form of nudging works at the point of checkout rather than the more conventional point of product consideration. Across two online experiments, we measure the effectiveness of using nutritional information nudges with added in-group (people like you) and out-group (people not like you) social comparisons. Our preliminary findings suggest that out-group social comparison nudges can be effective in encouraging both normal weight and overweight adults to reduce calories, even when these adults indicate that they do not typically change their diet behaviors. This research has implications for digital information design, interactive marketing, and public health.