Boredom and eating in obese and non-obese individuals

doi:10.1016/0306-4603(77)90015-6

Addictive Behaviors

Volume 2, Issue 4, 1977, Pages 181-185

https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4603(77)90015-6 Get rights and content

Abstract

Psychosomatic theorizing about obesity holds that obese individuals eat to cope with anxiety and other emotional states. On the basis of the demonstrated unpleasantness of boredom, it was hypothesized that obese would eat more food when confronted with a boring task than with an interesting task. Food consumption of normals would not be influenced by the task. Sixty female subjects were pre-loaded with food until they reported being full. Each subject then engaged in either a boring or an interesting task. Consumption of available food while performing the task was measured. Self-report questionnaires indicate that the respective tasks produced boredom and interest as desired. The results indicate that the obese consumed significantly more food than normals, and that boredom markedly increases food consumption for both obese and normals. The predicted interaction between weight and task was not found.

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^☆: This article is based on a thesis submitted by the second author to the Department of Psychology, California State University, Chico in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the M.A. degree.

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Boredom and eating in obese and non-obese individuals☆

Abstract

Anxiety, fear and eating: A test of the psychosomatic concept of obesity

Journal of Abnormal Psychology

Effects of taste on the eating behavior of obese and normal persons

Hypnotically indiced boredom and time estimation

Psychonomic Science

The psychosomatic concept of obesity

Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

Experimental Design: Procedures for the Behavioral Sciences

Selected techniques of data analysis: The analysis of variance

Emotional arousal, eating patterns, and body image as differential factors associated with varying success in maintaining a weight loss

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

The influence of different activities on the apparent length of time

Psychological Monographs

Increase of autonomic arousal by boredom

Journal of Abnormal Psychology

Some effects of anxiety level and food cues on the eating behavior of obese and normal subjects

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology