(PS14-13) The Effect of a Worry Induction on Food Consumption: An Experimental Investigation of Perseverative Cognition in Emotional Eating

Introduction: Perseverative cognition (e.g., worry, rumination) shows cross-sectional associations with a variety of health behaviors, including food consumption. Links between perseverative cognition and negative affect are also well-established; yet, little research has sought to examine the role of perseverative cognition in emotional eating, which is associated with negative outcomes such as depression and binge eating. The current study examined the influence of one type of perseverative cognition—worry— in emotional eating behaviors in the lab.

Method: An experimental study at a southeastern university used SONA to sample undergraduate students (N = 45; Mage = 20.22; SD = 4.58). Inclusion criteria were 18-45 years of age. Exclusion criteria included history of Type I or II diabetes and certain eating and mood disorders. Structured clinical Interviews using DIAMOND were conducted to determine eligibility. Participants were randomly assigned to either concentrate on a worrisome experience (n = 20) or reflect on a neutral stimulus (n = 25; data collection ongoing). After the thought task, ad libitum snack consumption was measured. Analyses were conducted via independent sample t-test, PROCESS Macro for SPSS (Model 1), and multiple linear regression.  

Results: In this preliminary sample, the manipulation check suggested those in the experimental condition experienced higher post-induction worry levels compared to the control condition (p < .001). Findings suggest that participants in the worry condition consumed significantly more potato chips (M = 28.07g, p = .015, d = .75) and overall food (M = 79.86g, p = .010, d = .85) compared to the control condition (chipsM = 16.68g, overall foodM = 47.38g). Cohen’s d effect sizes corresponded to small = 0.2, medium = 0.5, and large = 0.8. No significant differences were noted regarding the consumption of M&Ms (p = .189). The difference in animal crackers was not significant (p = .056, d = .62) . No significant moderating effects of intolerance of uncertainty, emotion dysregulation, or disinhibition were found. Neither a broad-based self-report measure of emotional eating (b = .243, p = .555) nor a specific measure of worry-related emotional eating (b = -.92, p = .855) significantly predicted the amount of food consumed in the lab.

Discussion: Preliminary findings, which suggest that inducing worry in the lab was associated with greater intake of some palatable foods, converge with experimental studies on emotional eating via the induction of negative mood (e.g., sadness). Findings underscore the need to further explore the role of perseverative cognitions in emotional eating using more ecologically valid designs. Self-reported emotional eating, including worry-specific emotional eating, was not associated with food consumption. These latter findings join with a growing body of research speaking to concerns about the validity of self-reported emotional eating tendencies. Together, these findings advance our understanding of cognitive and behavioral processes underlying emotional eating.