Combined Influences of Emotion States and Individual Characteristics on Appetite and Eating

Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate emotion-induced variations in food consumption for individuals with different eating-related characteristics. The study was motivated in part by findings reported in Chapter 8 showing that appetite varied as a function of emotion state (e.g., distress, relaxation, boredom, anger). Results from that study showed that across all subjects, the main effect of arousal-nonarousal (Le., level of mental alertness and/or physical activity) was the most powerful determinant, being negatively related to appetite. The main effect of dominance-submissiveness (feeling in control of one’s actions, social relationships, and environments versus feeling controlled and influenced by external forces and others) also was significant and strong, with appetite being a positive correlate of dominance. Further, the three factors of emotion interacted in determining appetite and some noteworthy findings were as follows. High-arousal states associated with distress, discomfort, or pain (displeasure, high arousal, submissiveness) resulted in the lowest levels of appetite, whereas low-arousal states of relaxation (pleasure, low arousal, dominance), disdain or contempt (displeasure, low arousal, dominance), and boredom or depression (displeasure, low arousal, submissiveness) resulted in the highest levels of appetite.