Psychological mindsets affect consumption: How different mindsets help (hurt) portion control

The present work discusses how psychological mindsets-orientations that affect how consumers encode, interpret, and respond to information can help, as well as hurt, portion control. To this end, the current article first provides an overview of the general idea of psychological mindsets. Subsequently, evidence from three distinct areas of mindset research is reviewed: power and powerlessness; fixed and growth; promotion and prevention. For each literature, the relevant mindsets are discussed, and their implications for consumer behavior generally and portion control specifically are illuminated. The paper also provides a discussion of gaps in mindset research with consideration given to how to bridge the theoretical development on mindsets to practical applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.