Abstract Consumers make distinct food choices when they see versus when they think about a powerful person. This research identifies two scenarios involving the presence of a high‐powered other, physical presence versus mental presence, and examines the effect of the physical and mental presence of a high‐powered other on consumers' healthy food choices. Conducting six experiments, we show that the physical presence of a high‐powered other increases one's self‐enhancement motivation and leads to healthier food choices, while the mental presence of a high‐powered other increases one's perceived constraints and leads to unhealthy food choices. We also find that interpersonal closeness moderates the positive effect of the physical presence of a high‐powered other on healthy food choices but does not moderate the negative effect of the mental presence of a high‐powered other on healthy food choices.
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