Why do we overeat, overspend? Lecture provides insights

<p>Arizona State University marketing professor Naomi Mandel will provide insights into how our need to maintain high self-esteem can lead to poor consumption choices during an April 14 lecture on ASU’s West campus. The event is set for 5 p.m. in the Kiva Lecture Hall at 4701 W. Thunderbird Road in Phoenix. It is free and open to the public; visitor parking on campus costs $2 per hour.</p><separator></separator><p>Mandel’s lecture is entitled “Compensatory Consumption: Situational factors leading to overspending and unhealthy food choices.”</p><separator></separator><p>When people’s self-esteem is threatened, they have various ways to compensate, explains Mandel, who teaches graduate-level marketing courses for ASU’s <a title="W. P. Carey School of Business" href="http://wpcarey.asu.edu/&quot; target="_blank">W. P. Carey School of Business</a>. Some people turn to various forms of “compensatory consumption,” such as buying luxury or high-status brands or engaging in escapist behaviors such as overeating or binge drinking.</p><separator></separator><p>During her presentation, Mandel will review recent advances in marketing and consumer psychology regarding such compensatory consumption behaviors. She also will offer suggestions for healthier coping strategies.</p><separator></separator><p>Mandel, an associate professor of marketing at the W. P. Carey School, holds a doctorate in marketing from the University of Pennsylvania.&nbsp;Her research examines the social-cognitive factors that influence consumers’ preferences and consumption experiences. Specifically, her findings demonstrate that subtle environmental cues, such as the content of a television program or web page, can activate thoughts in the consumer’s mind, thereby influencing choices and consumption experiences. Mandel has published in the <em>Journal of Consumer Research</em>, <em>Journal of Marketing</em>, <em>Journal of Consumer Psychology</em>, and <em>Journal of Interactive Marketing</em>. She also serves on the editorial review boards for three top-tier marketing journals, and recently chaired the Society for Consumer Psychology Conference in Atlanta.</p><separator></separator><p>The April 14 event featuring Mandel is part of the ThinK (Thursdays in Kiva) series at ASU’s West campus. ThinK is sponsored by ASU’s <a title="New College" href="http://newcollege.asu.edu/&quot; target="_blank">New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences</a>, the core college on the campus. This academic year’s theme for ThinK is “Much Ado About Food.”</p><separator></separator><p>For more information, call (602) 543-4521 or email <a href="mailto:ncevents@asu.edu">ncevents@asu.edu</a>.</p&gt;