Week 1- 19/10

 

During the first week of the challenge, I focused on refining my goal and observing the subsequent effects of the changes in my behaviour. Firstly, I made my goal more specific by deciding to track my sugar consumption and ensure I stay on track. Upon further research, I decided to aim to consume approximately 45 grams of sugar a day. Although this is slightly higher than the recommended amount for women, it is still a significant decrease from my previous intake and it would make a considerable impact on my daily routine (Healthline, 2021).

Secondly, I also chose to pay more attention on how my perception of different food products has been changing since making this consumer behaviour alteration. Perception is the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting and organising sensory information (Grohol, 2005). As Solomon et al. () note, there are three key stages of the perceptual process that are all activated by certain outside factors. While I did not notice any considerable changes in my perception during the first two days, from day three onwards, I certainly observed a shift in my attention and sensations.  The scent of baked pastries in the supermarket is becoming the first thing I can smell as soon as I walk in, triggering my consciousness' schema which associates the smell with sugar and, therefore, with pleasure (Peck and Childers, 2008).

Apart from my senses being much more alert to already familiar smells, another sense that has become much more alert is sight- I notice the purple packages of Cadbury chocolates a lot more frequently, in turn triggering certain classification and associations in my brain. My exposure is also becoming a lot more involuntary- I notice and focus more on the bakery isle when shopping or pay attention to other sugary foods I would normally reach out for.

Conclusions after my first week: The change in behaviour has already singified a change in my overall lfestyle and motivations.

- increased attention and awareness of sugary products in shops and at home

- more intense interpretation of schemas and senses I receive from external sources

- interesting perception from other people: my choice was perceived as aspirational and often admirable- indicates that people place high value on healthy eating and that this particular consumer choice is decoded as a lifestyle signifier. in this case, the choice of giving up chocolate reflects a personal value expressed in the form of health, wellness and discipline.

- As Giddens (1991) has noted, choices make up our lifestyle- "w have no choice but to choose", therefore, it is not surprising that my choice has been perceived as a lifestyle choice by outsiders.

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Sources and references:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-sugar-per-day#safe-amounts

Grohol, 2005.

Peck, J. and Childers, T. 2008. "Effects of Sensory Factors on Consumer Behavior", Haugvedt, C.P., Herr, P.M. and Kardes, F.R. (eds). Handbook of Consumer Psychology. New York, Psychology Press. pp. 193-200.