Food and Emotion: Jane Hooper ’18

jane Hooper '18Food marketing major Jane Hooper ’18 wants to know what happens when you get HANRGY. For her summer scholars research project, she’s studying the impact of emotion on food consumption — specifically the emotion of anger. “I have always been interested in emotions and how emotions affect human behavior,” she says, adding that currently, there is very little research on anger in relation to food consumption.

Jane’s mentor, associate professor of food marketing, Ernest Baskin, Ph.D., is an expert in environmental and emotional factors in food consumption, among other topics.

“Emotions and their effects on consumption behavior is a very important topic that spans the fields of psychology and marketing,” says Dr. Baskin. “However, most of the research on emotions has focused on happy and sad emotions and how they affect consumption.”

According to Baskin, researchers looking at this topic have typically lumped together all negative emotions, focusing mostly on sadness, resulting in predictions that people would generally want to use food to engage in mood repair.

By isolating anger and how it functions differently from sadness in terms of consumption, Jane’s topic explores new questions.

In addition to completing an extensive literature review, Jane has worked with Dr. Baskin to compose and conduct surveys and observational studies, and to analyze the resulting data.

“I love doing research and analyzing data which is why I decided to apply for the Summer Scholars Program,” says the Connecticut native who is also pursuing a minor business intelligence & analytics minor. “I want to go into marketing research and this project is allowing me to explore what that field is like.”

A member of the Dean’s Leadership Program as well as the Food Marketing and American Marketing Association chapters at SJU, Jane has earned a spot on the dean’s list each semester. She interned with specialty food company, Carl Brandt, Inc. in 2014 and worked as a Fancy Food Show representative for the company at the annual food show in New York City. She also co-hosted a radio show on the University’s station, Radio 1851.

Outside of academics, Jane is involved in service on campus. She a leader for the Magis Weekly Service Program, participates in the Collegiate Challenge and attended an Appalachian Experience Service Trip to Kentucky in 2015. She be studying abroad in Florence, Italy in the Fall.

— Colleen Sabatino ’11 (M.A.)

Office of University Communications

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Summer Scholars Project Title: “Is emotion a key factor in food consumption and food choice?”
Mentor: Ernest Baskin, Ph.D., assistant professor of food marketing

High school: Fairfield Ludlow High School, Fairfield, Connecticut

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