Scrutinizing Physical Activity as Economic Behavior and the Possibilities of Neuromarketing

Abstract

60–80% of adults and adolescents are physically inactive. This paper studied how individuals’ risk and time preferences predicted their physical activity stages of change processes and assessed which behavioral profiles towards physical activity could be influenced through neuromarketing. The study was conducted in a North European organization among mostly young adults (n = 144, mean age 25.96, SD 7.82). Data analyses consisted of ordinal logistic regression and exploratory factor analysis. Based on the analyses, the factors of older age, perceiving physical activity as a habit or a status quo, and habit and status quo as a factor increased advancement in the stages of change (1.07–1.08, 3.43, 1.88, and 12.18 times respectively), whereas an intertemporal, pessimistic attitude towards physical activity decreased 0.57 times. This pessimistic attitude focused on the current benefits overriding the future ones, i.e., not seeing the future health benefits of physical activity, and therefore, could be the target profile for neuromarketing studies for encouraging people to choose more physical activity.