Using the I3 Model to Understand Overeating

This paper uses a conceptual framework, the I3 Model (pronounced the ‘I-Cubed Model’), for understanding the influence of external and internal factors on eating behavior. According to the I3 Model (Instigation, Impellance and Inhibition), three processes can explain how overeating can occur. This paper provides support for the I3 Model through a field experiment and two laboratory experiments. The I3 Model sheds light on the nature of overeating when a perfect storm arises in which instigation and impellance are strong and inhibition is weak. The identification of this perfect-storm condition suggests that consumers who are seeking to avoid overeating should attune themselves to both external and internal factors and avoid these conditions of the perfect storm. Such insight boosts theoretical understanding for the phenomenon of overeating and suggests further research into the effects of situational cues in overeating.