A 2015 survey found that 88 percent of American scientists believe genetically modified foods are safe, but only 37 percent of the general public feel the same way.\u00a0 The PEW Research Centre, the institution that conducted the survey, which covered a variety of science issues, noted that this is the \u201clargest opinion difference between the public and scientists.\u201d<\/p>\n
This kind of data drives the scientific community a little nuts, mostly because the public\u2019s views seem so far removed from what the best available evidence actually says. \u00a0If we could just clearly communicate the evidence and increase scientific literacy, the thinking often goes, the public would behave more rationally.<\/p>\n
Alas, research has consistently shown that bombarding the public with more and more scientific facts usually doesn\u2019t do the trick.\u00a0 You can\u2019t change minds with evidence alone.<\/p>\n
Of course, this is because many of these kinds of food and health behaviours \u2013 including things like eating organic or going gluten-free \u2013 often have little to do with what the science actually says about the risks and benefits. But they do relate to the Prius, celebrities and my immaculately shaved legs.<\/p>\n
Bear with me. This will (I hope) make a bit of sense.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with the relevance of Toyota\u2019s clumsy looking hybrid.\u00a0 This best-selling car delivers great mileage and promises to help its owners reduce their carbon footprint.\u00a0 And while these are fine features, economists have suggested that its popularity hinges more on the image it projects than on its environmental benefits.<\/p>\n
Driving a Prius tells the world what kind of person you are.\u00a0 It is a form of self-expression known as the \u201cPrius effect.\u201d \u00a0A 2011 study by economists Steven and Alison Sexton found that consumers are willing to pay thousands more for the ugly Prius (yup, this car isn\u2019t going to win any beauty contests) simply to signal, through an act that has been called conspicuous conservation, their environmental bona fides<\/em>. \u00a0This is one reason it is so ugly. It shows the world you are truly sacrificing (\u201cI could be driving a Ferrari!\u201d) for a good cause.<\/p>\n Our decisions are governed less by rational calculation and more by tribal affiliation than we might like to think.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The same thing happens with food and nutrition choices.\u00a0 There are innumerable social, economic and cultural factors that influence how and what we eat.\u00a0 It is a phenomenally complex human behaviour. But there is also little doubt that our food choices serve as a powerful form of self-expression. \u00a0Eating organic, going gluten-free, using supplements or avoiding GMOs \u2014\u00a0all behaviours associated with science that can generously be described as \u201ccontested\u201d \u2014 is one way to indicate how we want to be identified by others. \u00a0At the risk of sounding glib, these choices are, at least in part, personal style decisions.\u00a0 Food as fashion.<\/p>\n And research tells us that this can be a powerful force, one that can impact a wide range of eating decisions and perceptions. Research by Brian Wansick\u2019s group at Cornell University, for example, found that a significant predictor of a particular food choice (in this 2014 study they were exploring food fears and avoidance) was the desire to have the relevant food-related decision known by their friends and peers.\u00a0 In other words, a food-related Prius effect was operating.<\/p>\n Similar psychological forces can impact how we perceive the taste of food.\u00a0 A 2015 study by Boyka Bratanova and colleagues found that many people believe organic food tastes better simply because it is perceived to be ethically superior to nonorganic food.\u00a0 This taste expectation, the researchers found, enhances the actual<\/em> taste experience, thus reinforcing the original expectations.\u00a0 The moral satisfaction of eating in a way that is perceived to be ethical casts a halo effect over the food\u2019s properties. This happens even though blind taste tests have found that organic food does not, in general, taste better than conventionally grown food.<\/p>\n So, what is the role of celebrities in this story?<\/p>\n Research has consistently demonstrated that celebrities can have a profound impact on health and lifestyle decisions.\u00a0 And that influence can be subtle and covert.<\/p>\n You may think of Gwyneth Paltrow as a less than credible source on the dangers of GMOs or the benefits of eating organic.\u00a0 You may have your doubts about Katy Perry as a science-informed expert on nutritional supplements and detox diets.\u00a0 But celebrities like Gwyneth and Katy have an absolutely massive cultural footprint.\u00a0 And their views on these and other health issues help to establish the cultural relevance of the related behaviours. Gwyneth may not be a scientist, but she projects a powerful and, I must admit, fabulous image that shapes and reinforces what a particular food choice projects to the world \u00ad\u2014 including the food\u2019s ethical significance.<\/p>\n Thus, celebrities help to establish the bounds and rules of particular reference groups. And these rules often have little to do with the relevant science.<\/p>\n This is one of the reasons that the same people who deride climate-change deniers for their scientific ignorance can also hold strong \u2014 and scientifically questionable \u2014 views about, for instance, the alleged health dangers of GMOs.\u00a0 There is an identity package that must be satisfied, one that includes the embrace of climate change science but the rejection of the equally strong scientific consensus around the safety of GMOs.<\/p>\n These observations undoubtedly sound a bit patronizing, as most people likely feel their choices are <\/em>well informed and have absolutely nothing to do with celebrity culture.\u00a0 But we should not underestimate the power of our cognitive biases to sway our reading of the available evidence. Once a particular choice becomes part of our identity package, it is easy to find arguments and \u201cevidence\u201d to confirm our views.\u00a0 Indeed, celebrities can perform an important role in this context. Celebrities are everywhere and thus they play to our availability and confirmation biases \u2014 our well established tendencies to, among other things, see, find and interpret information in a way that confirms preconceived beliefs and attitudes.<\/p>\n And it must also be emphasized that we all<\/em> engage in these kinds of evidence-free acts of personal branding.\u00a0 And this brings me to my shaved legs.<\/p>\n I have been seriously into cycling for more than 20 years. And serious cyclists shave their legs. But despite what most cycling enthusiasts assert (\u201cit makes you more aerodynamic!\u201d) there is absolutely no good, evidence-based reason for less-than-pro cyclists to shave their legs, especially if you are an aging, slow wannabe like me.\u00a0 It is, more than anything, a fashion decision. It is a form a self-expression. It signals to the world that I want to be perceived as belonging to the cycling community, even though that isn\u2019t really my conscious intent (and it probably just looks silly).<\/p>\n Recognizing the complex cultural forces that shape food choices and the perceptions of the relevant science can inform public engagement and food literacy efforts.\u00a0 It also provides insight into why it is so tough to change people\u2019s views, even in the face of strong scientific consensus.<\/p>\n Photo: Helga Esteb \/ Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A 2015 survey found that 88 percent of American scientists believe genetically modified foods are safe, but only 37 percent of the general public feel the same way.\u00a0 The PEW Research Centre, the institution that conducted the survey, which covered a variety of science issues, noted that this is the \u201clargest opinion difference between the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":250784,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-10-08T01:04:30Z","apple_news_api_id":"a6a5550d-5027-4b18-8ef4-0cca9224b8dd","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-10-08T01:04:30Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ApqVVDVAnSxiO9AzKkiS43Q","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[9377],"tags":[],"article-status":[],"irpp-category":[4286],"section":[],"irpp-tag":[],"class_list":["post-263913","issues","type-issues","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sante","irpp-category-sante"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n