The Effect of Temporal Framing on Behavioral Intentions, Expectations, and Behavior: The Case of Healthy Eating

Temporal framing has been heralded as a promising strategy to make risks appear more proximal and concrete and thus counter temporal discounting effects that are often limiting the appeal of long-term benefits of health behaviors. Previous research has shown that temporal framing affects behavioral intention. This study extends on this previous research by examining the effects of temporal framing on behavioral expectations-which are said to better reflect feasibility concerns than intentions-and actual behavior in the context of eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Results show that while temporal framing has effects on behavioral expectations similar to those on behavioral intentions, this effect was not significant for actual behavior.