Psychology of Food, Cooks, and Cooking

In A Psychology of Food, Cooks, and Cooking, David Livert employs current psychological research and theory to provide insights into the ubiquitous human behavior of cooking. Topics include how cooking strengthens identities, cognitive processes involved in planning and preparing a meal, emotions while cooking, the influence of time in the kitchen, the personality of the cook, and future trends in domestic cooking and the commercial kitchen. Livert’s book fills a gap in the literature by highlighting current research on cooks and cooking in both the psychological and food studies disciplines. This book organizes and summarizes the large and diverse body of research and theory in psychology to better understand the act of preparing food and the people (cooks) who engage in this behavior. This volume uniquely applies psychological research and theory to both domestic and commercial kitchens. It takes advantage of Livert’s two decades of research and scholarship on the intersection of social psychology and food preparation. A Psychology of Food, Cooks, and Cooking complements the existing material on the psychology of food consumption. Further, it illustrates the important insights that major psychological theories and concepts add to our understanding of cooks and cooking.

David Livert is professor of psychology at Penn State University.