Study: This is why you really tend to eat emotionally

The term "comfort food" isn't coined for nothing, as food can calm us, relax us, or otherwise help us regulate our emotions. However, when chocolate, chips, and the like become our sole coping mechanism for unpleasant feelings, the whole thing can become problematic. In this case, we speak of emotional eating.

Study on emotional eating

A research team from the University of Luxembourg and the University of Salzburg found in a study that some people have a stronger tendency towards emotional eating than others.

For the study, the researchers showed 80 women between the ages of 16 and 50 pictures of food and neutral pictures after having conversations with them that evoked either negative or neutral emotions. The women were divided into two groups: emotional eaters and restrictive eaters, who were not prone to emotional eating.

Some people seem to be more prone to emotional eating

The researchers then examined the relationship between the participants' emotions, their appetite management, and their eating habits when viewing the images. The team found that women prone to emotional eating had a stronger appetite when experiencing negative emotions. They also frowned less when viewing food images while experiencing negative emotions.

The appetite of the restrictive eaters, on the other hand, didn't change significantly, regardless of whether they were experiencing neutral or negative emotions. The researchers therefore conclude that negative emotions trigger a stronger feeling of hunger in people prone to emotional eating.

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We need other coping strategies

"Even with a healthy BMI, overeating for emotional regulation can become a problem," explains study co-author Rebekka Schnepper. "When trying to make our eating habits healthier, non-food-based emotional regulation strategies can be helpful."

Of course, that doesn't mean we can't cook our favorite pasta dish or eat a piece of that delicious new chocolate after a stressful day. But when comfort food becomes the only way we cope with difficult emotions like stress or grief, it can potentially lead to unhealthy eating habits.

mbl Brigitte

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