Emojis in understanding children’s food preferences and reactions Emojis in children’s food research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5327/fst.579Palavras-chave:
emoji, emotion, children, sensory tests, foodResumo
Emojis are widely adopted symbolic expressions for adults and children across various social media platforms. Their ability to mirror natural human facial expressions makes them universally understandable, even when communicating with individuals who may be illiterate, including adults or children. Concurrently, delving into children’s sensory experiences has emerged as a prominent area of research due to its intricacy and market exploration potential. As a result, the utilization of emojis in devising sensory tests for children has been steadily gaining traction. This trend is precious in unraveling the underlying motivations behind food preferences, understanding taste perceptions, assessing the sensory attributes of food items, and gauging consumers’ emotional responses to products. In this context, we comprehensively analyze the significance of evaluating children’s dietary preferences and behaviors. We delve into the role of emojis in facilitating communication and conducting sensory research involving children while also addressing the challenges associated with their application in such contexts. We further explore how emojis can effectively transcend specific communication barriers.
Downloads
Referências
Acheampong, F. A., Wenyu, C., & Nunoo-Mensah, H. (2020). Text-based emotion detection: Advances, challenges, and opportunities. Engineering Reports, 2(7), Article e12189. https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12189
Ares, G., Vidal, L., & Jaeger, S. R. (2021). How do consumers use emoji in a food-related context? Insights for the design and interpretation of emoji questionnaires. Journal of Sensory Studies, 36(4), Article e12663. https://doi.org/10.1111/joss.12663
Avila-Montiel, D., Vilchis-Gil, J., Miranda-Lora, A. L., Velàzquez-López, L., & Klünder-Klünder. (2024). The Effects of an Educational Intervention About Front-of-Package Labeling on Food and Beverage Selection Among Children and Their Caregivers: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 13, Article e54783. https://doi.org/10.2196/54783
Bai, Q., Dan, Q., Mu, Z., & Yang, M. (2019). A systematic review of emoji: Current research and future perspectives. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 2286. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02221
Benito-Ostolaza, J. M., Echavarri, R., Garcia-Prado, A., & Oses-Eraso, N. (2021). Using visual stimuli to promote healthy snack choices among children. Social Science & Medicine, 270, Article 113587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113587
Campo, C., Bouzas, C., & Tur, J. A. (2024). Risk factors and consequences of food neophobia and pickiness in children and adolescents: a systematic review. Foods, 14(1), Article 69. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14010069
Chen, Y., Yang, X., Howman, H., & Filik, R. (2024). Individual differences in emoji comprehension: Gender, age, and culture. PLOS ONE, 19(2), Article e0297379. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297379
Costa, C. S., Rauber, F., Leffa, P. S., Sangalli, C. N., Campagnolo, P. D. B., & Vitolo, M. R. (2019). Ultra-processed food consumption and its effects on anthropometric and glucose profile: A longitudinal study during childhood. Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 29(2), 177–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2018.11.003
Cruz, M. F., Rocha, R. S., Silva, R., Freitas, M. Q., Pimentel, T. C., Esmerino, E. A., Cruz, A. G., Fidalgo, T. K. S., & Maia, L. C. (2021). Probiotic fermented milks: Children’s emotional responses using a product-specific emoji list. Food Research International, 143, Article 110269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2021.110269
Dalenberg, J. R., Gutjar, S., Horst, G. J., Graaf, K., Renken, R. J., & Jager, G. (2014). Evoked emotions predict food choice. PLOS ONE, 9(12), Article e115388. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0115388
Denova-Gutiérrez, E., González-Rocha, A., Méndez-Sánchez, L., Araiza-Nava, B., Balderas, N., López, G., Tolentino-Mayo, L., Jáuregui, A., Hernández, L., Unikel, C., Bonvecchio, A., Shamah, T., Barquera, S., & Rivera, J. A. (2023). Overview of systematic reviews of health interventions for the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity in children. Nutrients, 15(3), Article 773. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15030773
Deubler, G., Swaney-Stueve, M., Jepsen, T., & Boon-Pew, S.-F. (2020). The K-State emoji scale. Journal of Sensory Studies, 35(1), Article e12545. https://doi.org/10.1111/joss.12545
Dolan, R. J. (2002). Emotion, cognition, and behavior. Science, 298(5596), 1191–1194. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1076358
Ekman, P. (1999). Basic emotions. In T. Dalgleish & M. J. Power (Eds.), Handbook of cognition and emotion (pp. 45–60). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/0470013494.ch3
Elizabeth, L., Machado, P., Zinöcker, M., Baker, P., & Lawrence, M. (2020). Ultra-processed foods and health outcomes: a narrative review. Nutrients, 12(7), Article 1955. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12071955
Ferré, P., Haro, J., Pérez-Sánchez, M. A., & Hinojosa, J. A. (2025). Emoji-Dis: A dataset of emojis characterised in 13 discrete emotions. Scientific Data, 12, Article 1313. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05682-6
Gallo, K. E., Swaney-Stueve, M., & Chambers, D. H. (2017a). A focus group approach to understanding food-related emotions with children using words and emojis. Journal of Sensory Studies, 32(3), Article e12264. https://doi.org/10.1111/joss.12264
Gallo, K. E., Swaney-Stueve, M., & Chambers, D. H. (2017b). Comparing visual food images versus actual food when measuring emotional response of children. Journal of Sensory Studies, 32(3), Article e12267. https://doi.org/10.1111/joss.12267
Gibney, M. J. (2019). Ultra-processed foods: Definitions and policy issues. Current Developments in Nutrition, 3(2), Article nzy077. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzy077
Goodell, L. S., Johnson, S. L., Antono, A. C., Power, T. G., & Hughes, S. O. (2016). Strategies low-income parents use to overcome their children’s food refusal. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 21, 68–76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-016-2094-x
Grummon, A. H., Gibson, L. A., & Musicus, A. A. (2023). Effects of 4 Interpretive Front-of-Package Labeling Systems on Hypothetical Beverage and Snack Selections. JAMA Network, 6(9), Article e2333515. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.4123
Guinard, J.-X. (2000). Sensory and consumer testing with children. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 11(8), 273–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-2244(01)00015-2
Gülşen, T. T. (2016). You tell me in emojis. In T. Ogata & T. Akimoto (Eds.), Computational and cognitive approaches to narratology (pp. 354–375). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-0432-0.ch014
Haines, J., Haycraft, E., Lytle, L., Nicklaus, S., Kok, F. J., Merdji, M., Fisberg, M., Moreno, L. A., Goulet, O., & Hughes, S. O. (2019). Nurturing children’s healthy eating: Position statement. Appetite, 137, 124–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.02.007
Hetherington, M. M., Cecil, J. E., Jackson, D. M., & Schwartz, C. (2011). Feeding infants and young children. From guidelines to practice. Appetite, 57(3), 791–795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2011.07.005
Issanchou, S. (2015). Sensory & consumer studies with special populations: Children and elderly. Current Opinion in Food Science, 3, 53–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2015.02.004
Jaeger, S. R., Roigard, C. M., & Ares, G. (2018). Measuring consumers’ product associations with emoji and emotion word questionnaires: Case studies with tasted foods and written stimuli. Food Research International, 111, 732–747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.04.010
Kaneko, D., Toet, A., Brouwer, A.-M., Kallen, V., & van Erp, J. B. F. (2018). Methods for evaluating emotions evoked by food experiences: A literature review. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 911. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00911
Kelly, B., Ng., S. H., Carrad, A., & Pettigrew, S. (2024). The Potential Effectiveness of Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling for Improving Population Diets. Annual Review of Nutrition, 44, 405–440. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-nutr-011224-030917
Kensinger, E. A. (2004). Remembering emotional experiences: The contribution of valence and arousal. Reviews in the Neurosciences, 15(4), 241–251. https://doi.org/10.1515/REVNEURO.2004.15.4.241
Krupa-Kotara, Nowak, B., Masrkowski, J., Rozmiarek, M., & Grajek, M. (2024). Food Neophobia in Children Aged 1–6 Years—Between Disorder and Autonomy: Assessment of Food Preferences and Eating Patterns. Nutrients, 16(17), Article 3015. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16173015
Lakoff, G. (1987). Women, fire, and dangerous things: What categories reveal about the mind. University of Chicago Press.
Lang, P. J. (1987). A reply to Watts and Blackstock. Cognition and Emotion, 1(4), 407–426. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699938708408060
Lang, P. J., & Bradley, M. M. (2010). Emotion and the motivational brain. Biological Psychology, 84(3), 437–450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.10.007
Laureati, M. (2022). Determinants of preference and consumption of healthy food in children. Foods, 11(2), Article 203. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11020203
Laureati, M., & Pagliarini, E. (2018). New developments in sensory and consumer research with children. In G. Ares & P. Varela (Eds.), Methods in consumer research: Alternative approaches and special applications (Vol. 2, pp. 321–353). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-101743-2.00013-3
Laureati, M., Pagliarini, E., Toschi, T. G., & Monteleone, E. (2015). Research challenges and methods to study food preferences in school-aged children: A review of the last 15 years. Food Quality and Preference, 46, 92–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.07.010
Lee, W. W. (2007). An overview of pediatric obesity. Pediatric Diabetes, 8, 76–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-5448.2007.00337.x
Liem, D. G., & Zandstra, L. H. (2009). Children’s liking and wanting of snack products: Influence of shape and flavour. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 6, Article 38. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-6-38
Lima, M., de Alcantara, M., Martins, I. B. A., Ares, G., & Deliza, R. (2019). Can front-of-pack nutrition labeling influence children's emotional associations with unhealthy food products? An experiment using emoji. Food Research International, 120, 217–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2019.02.027
Low, J. Y., Janin, N., Traill, R. M., & Hort, J. (2022). The who, what, where, when, why and how of measuring emotional response to food. A systematic review. Food Quality and Preference, 100, Article 104607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104607
Martini, D., Angelino, D., Tucci, M., La Bruna, E., Pellegrini, N., Del Bo’, C., & Riso, P. (2024). Can front-of-pack labeling encourage food reformulation? A cross-sectional study on packaged bread. Foods, 13(22), Article 3535. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13223535
Meiselman, H. L. (2021). Emotion measurement (2nd ed.). Woodhead Publishing.
Meltzer, E. O., Blaiss, M. S., Derebery, M. J., Mahr, T. A., Gordon, B. R., Sheth, K. K., Simmons, A. L., Wingertzahn, M. A., & Boyle, J. M. (2009). Burden of allergic rhinitis: Results from the Pediatric Allergies in America survey. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 124(3), S43–S70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2009.05.013
Meyer, R., Wright, K., Vieira, M. C., Chong, K. W., Chatchatee, P., Vlieg-Boerstra, B. J., Groetch, M., Dominguez-Ortega, G., Heath, S., Lang, A., Archibald-Durham, L., Rao, R., De Boer, R., Assa’ad, A., Trewella, E., & Venter, C. (2019). International survey on growth indices and impacting factors in children with food allergies. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 32(2), 175–184. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12610
Ortony, A., Clore, G. L., & Collins, A. (1988). The cognitive structure of emotions. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511571299
Panagiotou, M., & Gkatzionis, K. (2022). Lexicon development to measure emotions evoked by foods: A review. Measurement: Food, 7, Article 100054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meafoo.2022.100054
Paul, J., & Rana, J. (2012). Consumer behavior and purchase intention for organic food. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 29(6), 412–422. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363761211259223
Piochi, M., Fino, M. A., & Torri, L. (2025). The impact of children’s food neophobia on meal perception, emotional responses, and food waste in Italian primary school canteens. Foods, 14(10), Article 1777. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14101777
Plutchik, R. (1980). A general psychoevolutionary theory of emotion. In R. Plutchik & H. Kellerman (Eds.), Theories of Emotion (Vol. 1, pp. 3–33). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-558701-3.50007-7
Poelman, A. A. M., Delahunty, C. M., & Graaf, C. (2015). Vegetable preparation practices for 5–6 years old Australian children as reported by their parents; relationships with liking and consumption. Food Quality and Preference, 42, 20–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.01.005
Proserpio, C., Almli, V. L., Sandvik, P., Sandell, M., Methven, L., Wallner, M., Jilani, H., Zeinstra, G. G., Alfaro, B., & Laureati, M. (2020). Cross-national differences in child food neophobia: A comparison of five European countries. Food Quality and Preference, 81, Article 103861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2019.103861
Quinta, N., Ríos, Y., Baranda, A., & Martinez de Marañón, I. (2023). Identification and applicability of emoji appropriate to describe food experiences in child-centred studies: A comparison between food names and images. Food Quality and Preference, 105, Article 104781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104781
Quinta, N., Ríos, Y., Llorente, R., Naranjo, A. B., & Baranda, A. B. (2023). The effect of food shape on children’s implicit and explicit emotional response. Food Quality and Preference, 109, Article 104921. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2023.104921
Quinta, N., Santa Cruz, E., Ríos, Y., Alfaro, B., & Martinez de Marañón, I. (2023). What is behind a facial emoji? The effects of context, age, and gender on children’s understanding of emoji. Food Quality and Preference, 105, Article 104761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104761
Rana, T., Konapur, A., Mishra, P., Kour, M., Rao, A., Arora, M., & Gavaravarapu, S. M. (2025). The impact of educational interventions on food label comprehension and food choices among adolescents: a scoping review. BMC Public Health, 25(1), Article 2682. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23940-5
Rini, L., Lagast, S., Schouteten, J. J., Gellynck, X., & De Steur, H. (2022). Impact of emotional state on consumers’ emotional conceptualizations of dark chocolate using an emoji-based questionnaire. Food Quality and Preference, 99, Article 104547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104547
Robinson, M. A. (2018). Using multi-item psychometric scales for research and practice in human resource management. Human Resource Management, 57(3), 739–750. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21852
Romeo-Arroyo, E., Mora, M., Urkiaga, O., Pazos, N., El-Gyar, N., Gaspar, R., Pistolese, S., Beaino, A., Grosso, G., & Busó, P. (2025). Co-creating snacks: a cross-cultural study with mediterranean children within the delicious project. Foods, 14(2), Article 159. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14020159
Russell, J. A. (1980). A circumplex model of affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(6), 1161–1178. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0077714
Russell, J. A., & Mehrabian, A. (1977). Evidence for a three-factor theory of emotions. Journal of Research in Personality, 11(3), 273–294. https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-6566(77)90037-X
Schouteten, J. J., Almli, V. L., Rini, L., & Berget, I. (2023). Valence, arousal and projective mapping of facial and non-facial emoji investigated using an incomplete block design approach. Food Quality and Preference, 105, Article 104762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104762
Schouteten, J. J., & Meiselman, H. L. (2021). The potential of using emoji instead of words when measuring emotions associated with food. Food Quality and Preference, 92, Article 104182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104182
Schouteten, J. J., Verwaeren, J., Gellynck, X., & Almli, V. L. (2019). Comparing a standardized to a product-specific emoji list for evaluating food products by children. Food Quality and Preference, 72, 86–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2018.09.007
Schouteten, J. J., Verwaeren, J., Lagast, S., Gellynck, X., & De Steur, H. (2018). Emoji as a tool for measuring children’s emotions when tasting food. Food Quality and Preference, 68, 322–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2018.03.005
Sick, J., Monteleone, E., Dinnella, C., Pierguidi, L., & Spinelli, S. (2022). Development of an emoji-based self-report measurement tool to measure emotions elicited by foods in preadolescents. Food Quality and Preference, 100, Article 104585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104585
Sick, J., Monteleone, E., Pierguidi, L., Ares, G., & Spinelli, S. (2020). The meaning of emoji to describe food experiences in pre-adolescents. Foods, 9(9), Article 1307. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9091307
Sick, J., Spinelli, S., Dinnella, C., & Monteleone, E. (2020). Children’s selection of emojis to express food-elicited emotions in varied eating contexts. Food Quality and Preference, 85, Article 103953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.103953
Sonntag, D., Schneider, S., Mdege, N., Ali, S., & Schmidt, B. (2015). Beyond food promotion: A systematic review on the influence of the food industry on obesity-related dietary behaviour among children. Nutrients, 7(10), 8565–8576. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7105414
Spinelli, S., Masi, C., Dinnella, C., Zoboli, G. P., & Monteleone, E. (2014). How does it make you feel? A new approach to measuring emotions in food product experience. Food Quality and Preference, 37, 109–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2013.11.009
Sunil, B., Goss, A. M., & Ashraf, A. P. (2020). Dietary influences on pediatric obesity and metabolic syndrome. In H. G. Preuss & D. Bagchi (Eds.), Dietary sugar, salt and fat in human health (pp. 171–193). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816918-6.00008-1
Swaney-Stueve, M., Jepsen, T., & Deubler, G. (2018). The emoji scale: A facial scale for the 21st century. Food Quality and Preference, 68, 183–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2018.03.002
Toet, A., Kaneko, D., Ushiama, S., Hoving, S., de Kruijf, I., Brouwer, A.-M., Kallen, V., & van Erp J. B. F. (2018). EmojiGrid: A 2D Pictorial Scale for the Assessment of Food Elicited Emotions. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 2396. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02396
Toet, A., & Van Erp, J. B. F. (2019). The EmojiGrid as a Tool to Assess Experienced and Perceived Emotions. Psych, 1(1), 469–481. https://doi.org/10.3390/psych1010036
Toet, A., Van Erp, J. B. F., & Van der Burg, E. (2024). Unspeeded response time as an implicit measure of food appraisal. Food Quality and Preference, 119, Article 104896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2024.105221
United Nations Children’s Fund. (2020). Prevention of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/documents/prevention-overweight-and-obesity-children-and-adolescents
Urkiaga, O., Mora, M., Romeo-Arroyo, E., Pistolese, S., Béiano, A., Grosso, G., Busó, P., Pons, J., & Vázquez-Araújo, L. (2025). A sorting task with emojis to understand children’s recipe acceptance. Foods, 14(11), Article 1839. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14111839
Van den Burg, S. W. K., Dagevos, H., & Helmes, R. J. K. (2021). Towards sustainable European seaweed value chains: a triple P perspective. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 78(1), 443–450. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsz183
Velázquez, A. L., Vidal, L., Varela, P., & Ares, G. (2020). Can children use temporal sensory methods to describe visual and food stimuli? Food Quality and Preference, 86, Article 104002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.104002
Vidal, L., Ares, G., & Jaeger, S. R. (2016). Use of emoticon and emoji in tweets for food-related emotional expression. Food Quality and Preference, 49, 119–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.12.002
Vidal, L., Ares, G., Machín, L., & Jaeger, S. R. (2015). Using Twitter data for food-related consumer research: A case study on “what people say when tweeting about different eating situations”. Food Quality and Preference, 45, 58–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.05.006
Wilkinson, L. L., Hinton, E. C., Fay, S. H., Ferriday, D., Rogers, P. J., & Brunstrom, J. M. (2012). Computer-based assessments of expected satiety predict behavioural measures of portion-size selection and food intake. Appetite, 59(3), 933–938. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.09.007
Williams, K. E., Field, D. G., & Seiverling, L. (2010). Food refusal in children: A review of the literature. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 31(3), 625–633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2010.01.001
World Bank. (2025, July 21). The World Bank and nutrition. World Bank Group. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/nutrition/overview
World Health Organization. (2023). Policies to protect children from the harmful impact of food marketing: WHO guideline. WHO. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240075412
World Health Organization. (2025, December 8). Obesity and overweight. WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight?utm_source=copilot.com
Wu, D., Zhang, X., & Zang, X. (2024). Is there an intergenerational discrepancy in the comprehension and aesthetic preference regarding emoji usage? Evidence from WeChat. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, Article 1424728. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1424728
