Self-affirmation

The theories on individual decision making from other scientific disciplines tend to stress factors such as status, social peer pressure, time availability, mood, cultural aspects, self-affirmation, altruism, and self-perception, as explanatory variables to decision making [12, 13]. These latter factors are far less favourable for economic valuation since the value would be unpredictable and varying dependent on situation. They may, however, provide an equally or even better description of decision making. 

In the USA the available bulk sweeteners are listed under different provisions, like food additive, interim status, GRAS (Generally Recognised As Safe) or GRAS by self-determination or self-affirmation of the manufacturers. Intense sweeteners require food additive approval which includes a listing of the approved fields of use or may be a listing as a general purpose sweetener.32... 

Sherman, D.A.K., L.D. Nelson, and C.M. Steele. 2000. Do messages about health risks threaten the self Increasing the acceptance of threatening health messages via self-affirmation. Pers. Soc. Psychol. B. 26(9) 1046-1058. 

Think about it. When people ask us why we did something, we are apt to say, "1 wanted to do it," or "I was told to do it," or "1 needed to do it." These explanations sound as if the cause of our behavior comes before we act. This perspective is supported by numerous "pop psychology" self-help books and audiotapes that say people motivate themselves with positive self-affirmations or optimistic thinking and enthusiastic expectations. In other words, behavior is caused by some external request, order, or signal or by an internal force, drive, desire, or need. 

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