Daimler und Benz Stiftung - Emotional eating – universality and limits of the concept

Emotional eating – universality and limits of the concept

How do emotions influence our eating behavior? For example, do we eat more unhealthy food when we are sad? Many people deal with nutritional issues on a daily basis. Some of these are relevant to our health, since the excessive consumption of high-calorie foods, for instance, can eventually lead to obesity and secondary disorders. A better understanding of how emotions, in particular, influence our eating behavior and whether they lead to increased consumption of unhealthy food can therefore greatly contribute to promoting and maintaining health.

The concept of emotional eating is yet to be uniformly defined; the term is used in various different ways in research. Since this makes it difficult to pool scientific findings in order to derive well-founded recommendations, a key objective of this gathering was to arrive at a clear definition that takes account of various research approaches – from laboratory studies with physiological measurements, and surveys on how we conduct our everyday lives, to intervention studies based on eating therapy. This standardized definition should in future enable better integration of the different areas of research.

The scientists also developed a theory that can explain the occurrence of emotional eating and can serve as a basis for formulating new hypotheses. This comprehensive theoretical description should help to identify and eliminate existing ambiguities in the concept. The experts also discussed practical research into emotional eating behavior: Current standards in data collection and interventions were analyzed and recommendations formulated for future research projects.

Scientific management

Dr. Julia Reichenberger, Clinical Psychology and Psychological Treatment, LMU Munich

Participating scientists

Dr. Kirsti Akkerman, University of Tartu, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Clinical Psychology, Estland
Dr. Ann-Kathrin Arend, Paris Lodron University, Department of Psychology, Health Psychology, Austria
Christoph Bamberg, Paris Lodron University, Department of Psychology, Health Psychology, Austria
Dr. Wesley R. Barnhart, Suffolk University, Department of Psychology, USA
Prof. Dr. Jens Blechert, Paris Lodron University, Department of Psychology, Health Psychology, Austria
Dr. Abby Braden, Bowling Green State University, Department of Psychology, USA
Dr. Valentina Cardi, Kings College London, Università Degli Study Di Padova, Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Italy
Dr. Catherine Evers, Utrecht University, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Psychology Social, Health and Organisational Psychology, Netherlands
Ella Ferrand, Center for Nutritional Medicine and Prevention, Germany
Dr. Andrea Goldschmidt, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, USA
Prof. Dr. Jennifer Inauen, University of Bern, Institute of Psychology, Switzerland
Hannah Konttinen, University of Helsinki, Social Psychology, Finland
Prof.Dr. Michael Macht, University of Würzburg, Institute of Psychology / Faculty of Human Sciences, Germany
Dr. Tyler Mason, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine of USC, REACH Lab, USA
Dr. Laurence Nolan, Wagner College, Psychology Faculty, USA
Prof. Daryl O'Connor, University of Leeds, Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Psychology, UK
Lisa-Marie Okhof, University Hospital Leipzig, Behavioral Medicine Research Group, Germany

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