Stress eaters do not always increase

Stress eaters and stress hungry eat about the same amount in a neutral situation

06/11/2013

Those who compensate for stress by increasing their food intake are not necessarily unhealthier than people who eat less in stressful situations. This was the result of a study by psychologists from the University of Konstanz. Both stress-eaters and stress-hungry live according to the equalization principle. While stress-eaters reduce their intake of food in relaxed times, it increases with stress-hungry people, who in turn eat less under tension.

Stress eaters are not always unhealthier
Dr. Gudrun Sproesser, Prof. dr. Harald Schupp and project leader Prof. Dr. med. Britta Renner from „EATMOTIVE“-In their study, the psychology project addressed the question of whether stress-eaters can balance their eating habits under stress by eating less in relaxed situations. At the same time, they investigated whether it makes sense to encourage stress-eaters to be more self-disciplined. To do this, they performed experiments in which the participants experienced either a stressful, a pleasant or a neutral situation. Subsequently, the amount of food they had taken was evaluated.

As expected, the stress eaters actually ate more than the stress-hungry in stressful situations. On the other hand, the stress-hunger in positive situations but significantly more to the stress-eaters. „The eating pattern of stress eaters and stress hungry has completely turned around here, so we can speak of a compensation pattern“, explains Sproesser. In neutral situations both ate about the same amount.

Stress eaters do not stop for self-discipline
According to the researchers, it does not help to make stress-eaters more self-disciplined. This is even counterproductive, since this additionally increases the stress level and the eating behavior could get even more out of balance.

As the research results also show, stress eaters are not necessarily unhealthier and fat. „The eating habits of stress-eaters can lead to overweight in the long term, when the stress gets worse without being compensated by positive situations“, explains Sproesser. The study was in the science journal „Psychological Science“ released. (Ag)

Picture: Rainer Sturm