Combating gender stereotypes in eating behaviors

Background The Institut Lyfe Research Center is dedicated to the study of the various factors (social, economic, cognitive and physiological) that underlie and influence human eating behavior. This internship is part of an interdisciplinary research project aimed at measuring the influence of gender stereotypes on food preferences. Recent research has shown that men consume significantly more meat, while women prefer vegetables (Stanley, Day, & Brown, 2023), behaviors influenced by gendered social norms rather than actual nutritional needs (European Commision, 2020, updated 2021). The project explores how certain cognitive mechanisms - notably the inherence heuristic (Cimpian & Salomon, 2014), and linguistic (genericity; Berio & Musholt, 2023) - can rigidify food choices (Bian & Markman, 2020). The aim of this internship is to participate in the implementation of an experimental intervention in university restaurants in the Île-de-France region, in partnership with the CROUS, in order to promote a more varied, less gendered and more balanced diet. The results are intended to contribute to the resolution of public health issues, in particular by encouraging more flexible food choices, especially with regard to vegetarian dishes, based on identified cognitive and social levers. Supervision Jérémie Lafraire, PhD, HDR, research director in cognitive sciences (Institut Lyfe Research Center, Ecully), associate researcher at Université PSL-Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Paris). Adoracion Guzman-Garcia, doctoral student in cognitive sciences (EPHE - PSL / Institut Lyfe) Collaborations with Ellen Markman (Stanford University) and Lin Bian (University of Chicago) are underway, so the intern will also be working with them. Mission during the study Bibliographical approach Familiarization with the literature on i) gendered differences in eating behaviors, in particular the association between meat and masculinity, ii) the cognitive and linguistic mechanisms involved in stereotype formation (inherence heuristics, generic statements, social norms), and iii) interventions aimed at modifying eating behaviors. Experimental approach Participation in the implementation and monitoring of an intervention in several CROUS university restaurants in the Paris region. Data collection and analysis (R / Python) based on behavioral measurements and questionnaires. Methodologies considered: Impact evaluation used: “Differences-in-Differences” (De Chaisemartin & d'Haultfoeuille, 2018) and incentive dispositive (“encouragement design”; Bradlow, 1998). Partners : Institut Lyfe Research Center (Ecully, France) Center National des Œuvres Universitaires et Scolaires (CNOUS) in the Ile de France region Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes - Paris Sciences et Lettres (Paris, France) Profile Master 2 student in cognitive sciences or psychology, with solid skills in applied statistics (R, econometrics appreciated). Interest in gender issues, social psychology, nutrition and public policy appreciated. Autonomy, rigor, field experience and team spirit. Recruitment Project start in September or October 2025 until June 2026 (full-time or part-time, to be discussed with the candidate). Interviews in June 2025. Applications (M1 grades, CV and cover letter) should be sent to : jlafraire@institutlyfe.com and adoracion.guzman-garcia@etu.ephe.psl.eu Please put the following in the subject line: M2 internship application - food behavior intervention Remuneration : 4.35 euros/hour Place(s) of internship : Paris, with travel planned to different CROUS in Ile de France, as well as to various partners if necessary. Bibliography : Berio, L., & Musholt, K. (2023). How language shapes our minds: On the relationship between generics, stereotypes and social norms. Mind & Language, 38(4), 944-961. Bian, L., & Markman, E. M. (2020). Why do we eat cereal but not lamb chops at breakfast? Investigating Americans’ beliefs about breakfast foods. Appetite, 144, 104458. Bradlow, E. (1998). Encouragement designs: an approach to self-selected samples in an experimental design. Marketing Letters, 9, 383-391. Cimpian, A., & Salomon, E. (2014). The inherence heuristic: An intuitive means of making sense of the world, and a potential precursor to psychological essentialism. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 37(5), 461-480. De Chaisemartin, C., & d’Haultfoeuille, X. (2018). Fuzzy differences-in-differences. The Review of Economic Studies, 85(2), 999-1028. European Commision (2020, updated 2021). Dietary recommendations for protein intake for adults and older adults. Available at https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/health-promotion-knowledge-gateway/dietary-protein-intake-adults-3_en#:~:text=The%20recommended%20intake%20in%20adults,the%20recommendation%20does%20not%20differ.​​ Stanley, S. K., Day, C., & Brown, P. M. (2023). Masculinity matters for meat consumption: An examination of self-rated gender typicality, meat consumption, and veg* nism in Australian men and women. Sex Roles, 88(3), 187-198.