"Same Calories, Different Foods" – What Do You Choose? The Role of Construal Level and Age in Shaping Food Choices

Eunho Kim¹Yoon-hee Kang^2*

• ¹Department of Management Informationi Systems, Dong-A University, Busan, Republic of Korea
• ²Department of Psychology, College of Social Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Health-related food choices are often guided by two key attributes: food type (e.g., healthy vs. unhealthy) and food quantity (e.g., large vs. small portions). Grounded in Construal Level Theory (CLT), this study investigates how consumers’ construal levels influence their focus on these attributes and how this, in turn, affects food choice. Across two experimental studies, we examined both chronic and situational manipulations of construal level and analyzed how these factors interact with age differences in shaping dietary decisions. In Study 1 (N = 152), participants completed the Behavioral Identification Form (BIF) to assess chronic construal level before choosing between food options differing in type and quantity but equal in calories. Individuals with a low-level construal were more likely to choose smaller portions even when the food was less healthy, whereas those with a high-level construal prioritized food type. Study 2 (N = 227) manipulated construal level via temporal distance (3 weeks vs. 3 days) and found a similar pattern: low-level construals increased sensitivity to quantity over type. Moreover, age moderated these effects, as older adults—who generally exhibit lower construal levels—tended to focus more on quantity-based cues. Beyond prior research that examined food type or portion size separately, this study is novel in jointly testing both attributes under caloric equivalence within a CLT framework. By integrating construal level and age into a single model, we clarify when and why equally caloric foods are chosen differently, providing a theoretical basis for tailoring health communication by age.