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Comfort eating or toasting to your success? Self-gifting choices vary between good and bad days
The present study explores the motivations behind self-gifting behaviors, particularly in relation to food and alcohol, amidst varying daily experiences. A sample of 280 participants was recruited online and asked to imagine scenarios of either a good, bad, or average day at work. Subsequently, they reported their likelihood of engaging in various self-gifting behaviors, including consuming an alcoholic drink, ordering a takeaway, indulging in a chocolate bar, participating in an online shopping spree, and enjoying a bubble bath.
Key predictor variables such as deservingness, self-esteem, and results from the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, alongside demographic factors (age and gender), were controlled in the analysis. Findings indicate that the type of day experienced significantly influenced participants’ self-gifting choices. Specifically, those who imagined a bad day expressed a higher propensity to indulge in an alcoholic drink, takeaway, chocolate bar, and bubble bath, suggesting these items serve as mechanisms for self-consolation.
Interestingly, the takeaway was unique in that it was motivated by both self-reward and self-consolation desires. These results underscore the nuanced relationship between daily emotional states and self-gifting behaviors, with implications for understanding the psychological motivations behind food and alcohol consumption. [NPID: Self-gifting, self-consolation, motivation, Three-Factor Questionnaire, alcohol, self-reward)
Year: 2026
