Emotional eating is a common phenomenon in which the urge to eat is not due to physiological hunger. In a culture in which food is incredibly abundant, emotional eating represents a convenient way for individuals to manage emotions that are uncomfortable.
Why Call it Emotional Eating?
To be clear, the term emotional eating is not eating with your emotions openly displayed. It is rare for most people to consciously feel their emotions while eating.
Instead, emotional eating occurs in response to emotions that often go unnoticed. Though they may be under the surface, emotions become too difficult to control in the normal course of the day, and food provides a powerful distraction.
What Feelings Are Avoided With Emotional Eating?
Anxiety, fear, loneliness, anger, guilt...any uncomfortable emotion may be at the root of emotional eating. A man might eat more and more as his home business earns less and less money. Another person might return home from a date feeling worthless and turn to ice cream for comfort. The possibilities are endless.
How Does Emotional Eating Soothe Negative Feelings?
Eating does several things to relieve anxiety and other negative emotions:
- Food changes the chemical balance in the body. Some foods increase endorphin levels, which in turn creates a sense of happiness or contentment.
- We associate being full with comfort. Fullness increases comfort, which counteracts negative emotions. And if a person eats past fullness to discomfort, the physical sensation distracts the mind from other problems.
- Eating takes time that might otherwise be spent thinking negative thoughts. A person uses even more time in preparing food and cleaning up after eating.
- Celebrations usually involve food, and a person may therefore be conditioned to be in a more celebratory mood when eating.
Maybe I Eat Emotionally. So What?
Emotional eating can have a profound effect on quality of life. It can contribute to other eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder, for example). But there are ways to treat emotional eating and the underlying problems that fuel it. Taking a step toward greater health may mean speaking with a counselor, learning more about solid nutrition, getting medical attention for chemical imbalances, or finding a support group.
Source
Cumella, Edward J. and Darcy Tucker. “Emotional Eating.” Remuda Review 2006 (5): 38-44.
