Food has always been an important part of life. It is a resource for energy and a vital part of survival for all living beings. However, for humans, it goes beyond just the necessities. It is a part of their culture –integrated into art, social settings, etc. Almost anywhere one looks, one will be met with countless photographs of food, from magazine pages to Instagram posts, conversations about going out to grab lunch, television ads, and a restaurant of some sort almost everywhere. With so much focus on food, there are also certain social norms and behaviors that are expected to associate with eating. Yet, there are still those that do not quite follow those expectancies, either indulging in more food than deemed appropriate to society/emotionally eating, or showing little or no interest in this food culture. And of course, there are numerous eating disorders that have become more and more frequent.
Although there is and will continue to be a significant food culture in society, in today’s world there has also been a growing emphasis on nutrition and health. Because of this, those that do not follow the unwritten societal standards of eating are often frowned upon. Those that eat more, especially if they are already on the larger side, are seen as unhealthy and have no self-control. Those that fall on the opposite end of the spectrum, are seen as picky and stuck-up.
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However, the issues, if one calls them that, go much beyond a person’s personality and are not behaviors that can be easily “fixed” if the person just acts a different way. The research that took place before this paper occurred to figure out and find the explanations behind why a person may have “abnormal” eating behaviors. While there are still a lot of studies that are and need to be done regarding eating habits, there is no doubt that the issue is much more complex than how it is perceived in society. Eating habits are largely influenced by negative emotions and stress-inducing circumstances, making them out of a person’s control.
This paper was written to shed light on the fact that eating habits are largely influenced by these factors and to make society more aware of the complexities of the issue(s). A lot of times, people may see someone that seems to eat a lot and will look at them with dismay, calling them a pig and other obscenities. On the other hand, if they do not want to eat, they will be seen as body-obsessed and with that, superficial. However, there is much more to a person than one can see just by a glance at their outward appearance, and that should be taken into consideration. It is unfair to make assumptions such as these about a person and give them unwanted “tips” on how to eat more healthily when one does not know how their life is or was.
Imagine suddenly hearing about a loved one’s death. For many people, the shock of such news might make them temporarily unable to eat. On the other hand, imagine suddenly getting a text message from a significant other asking for a breakup. Stereotypically, the expected response is oftentimes the image of someone sitting on the couch with countless pints of ice cream, crying, as can be seen through various television shows. This is especially true when it comes to women. Although the scene seems almost comical sometimes, there is some truth to it. More so, there seems to be a reason that stereotypical response is associated mainly with women. After conducting research, the authors of an article titled “Psychological Determinants of Emotional Eating in Adolescence “, found that “significant associations of perceived stress, worries and tension/anxiety to emotional eating for girls, while only confused mood was related to emotional eating in boys” (Nguyen-Rodriguez, Selena T, et al. par. 1).
Still, although emotional eating is clearly impacted by these negative emotions, they are not the typical response to these emotions. In “Causes of Emotional Eating and Matched Treatment of Obesity”, Gold and Chrousos claim that “the tendency to eat in response to negative emotions or stress is an a-typical stress response, the typical stress response being not eating” (van Strien, Tatjana par. 5). Along with this, in the same article, a statement from Klump declared “This suggests that most young children show the natural response of losing appetite in response to negative emotions or stress and that emotional eating emerges in the transition between childhood and adulthood: the period of adolescence” (van Strien, Tatjana. par 16). So, it is actually natural to respond by not eating when upset or stressed, however, certain individuals may experience the opposite effect and instead indulge in emotional eating. Either way, their eating habits are affected by their emotional state.
Stress is the emotion that has the biggest effect on eating habits. More so, in “Stress and Eating Behaviors”, Yau and Potenza state that “those under chronic stress tend to eat more under acute stress conditions and show a heightened preference for and consumption of hyper-palatable, energy-dense foods high in sugar and fat” (Paragraph 10). So, the amount of stress can also affect a person’s eating habits. Because those going under acute, or short-term stress, are only in the stressful situation for a small amount of time, they show the normal reaction of shutting down and not being able to eat. When someone is put under too much stress, they run the risk of it becoming chronic, and that can alter their eating behaviors, making them binge or emotionally eat.
And while yes, there is always the chance that the stress occurring could have been prevented (such as having anxiety over an exam the next day, but not bothering to study earlier) or combated, there are times when it truly is out of the person’s power. Like, for example, when it comes to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. There is a definite link between those experiencing stress-induced disorder, also known as PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), and those engaging in emotional eating. In “Causes of Emotional Eating and Matched Treatment of Obesity”, Talbot, Maguen, Epel, Metzler, and Neijlan also support this claim by stating that “Emotional eating was associated with posttraumatic stress disorder” (van Strien, Tatjana par. 10). With PTSD, the victim is constantly reliving the stressful experience, whether that of childhood trauma or that of combat (in the case of veterans). Therefore, these individuals are under chronic, or long-term stress, which as mentioned above, causes a person to be more likely to engage in emotional eating. In a sense, emotional eating is a sort of coping mechanism for some people. Using Danese and Tans’, as well as Rodgers’, Lang’s, Laffaye’s, Satz’s, Dresselhaus’, and Steins’ research, the authors of “From Childhood Trauma to Elevated C-Reactive Protein in Adulthood: The Role of Anxiety and Emotional Eating”, Shrepf, Markon, and Lutgendorf, further confirm this fact by claiming that “CT has been linked to later life obesity in multiple studies” (Paragraph 6).
However, according to Geliebter and Aversa, “some obese individuals do not engage in emotional eating, while some normal weight individuals do” (Shrepf, Markon, et al par. 6). While one must take note of that fact, there is no doubt that obesity and childhood trauma have a connection. A person who is much more likely to eat foods with high amounts of sugar and/or fat is usually also on the overweight or obese side. And as mentioned above, it was those that engaged in eating high amounts of these foods, albeit them being unhealthy, that were under chronic, or long-term stress.
In “Causes of Emotional Eating and Matched Treatment of Obesity”, the authors also state that 'while women were more likely to engage in emotional eating, the relationship between emotional eating and elevated BMI was stronger in men” (Paragraph 34). Regarding the fact that there is a stronger association in men in terms of BMI and emotional eating, Shrepf, Markon, and Lutgenford also mention that the reason for this may be because of 'concern about weight gain and body image which tend to affect women more strongly than men” (Paragraph 34).
Still, women are statistically shown to have higher rates of sexual assault/abuse. Although the severity of the case may vary from circumstance to circumstance, and those in more severe situations may be more likely to experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, there is still someone who was in a less severe situation (For example, molestation versus rape) may develop PTSD as well. While one must take into consideration the number of men that actually report their assault cases, in society, it has generally been more common for women to be subjected to sexual harassment, abuse, etc. Thus, the rates of PTSD that are reported are higher in women than men, and seeing as women are more likely to engage in emotional eating, one can conclude that stress and trauma have a definite impact on eating habits.
Of course, the brain plays a huge role in a person’s everyday life, especially when it comes to stress. In Why You Lose Your Appetite When You’re Upset”, Strutner mentions that “In life-or-death situations, the brain produces appetite-suppressing hormones and glands pump out adrenaline to put eating on hold so your body can devote its energy to survival. But even if you aren’t physically in danger, your brain might react as if this were true” (Paragraph 3). Think about this in relation to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. While yes when the person is actually experiencing the stressful event, they are in danger, later on, they are not. Instead, their PTSD symptoms force them to be in a state where they think they are reliving the stressful event, even though they might be completely safe at the time. So, their brain acts as if they are in physical danger even if they are not. This causes the production of hormones to halt hunger. However, if PTSD is prolonged, especially if left untreated, the stress can become chronic since the person is not getting effective help. At this time, a person’s brain may stop halting hunger and instead, as a sort of coping mechanism, force them to give in to emotional or binge eating. The exact reason this change happens, however, is unknown, though the fact that it does occur is shown through various studies, such as those mentioned above.
More so, prolonged untreated PTSD and stress might cause a person to start feeling more hopeless and unable to cope with life. They might also be overcome with negative thoughts. This can then lead to depression. Of course, there are also other causes of depression besides Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, regardless of the cause(s), it does not change the fact that one of the main symptoms of depression happens to be drastic weight loss or gain as well. Going with this, in the “Psychological Determinants of Emotional Eating in Adolescence”, Thayer stated “feelings of increased tension and low-energy, “tense tiredness,” as the primary culprit in emotional eating, as it underlies many of the negative moods (for example, depression and anxiety) that have been found to be associated with overeating” (Nguyen-Rodriguez, Selena T, et al. par. 1).
Other regions and activities of the brain also determine a person’s eating habits, which goes to show there is much more to the situation than personality traits. In “Here's Why You're Stress Eating And How to Stop Doing It”, Knott explains that “The hormone cortisol rises with chronic stress and can lead to increased appetite (Ducharme par. 5). In another article, titled “Depression-Related Increases and Decreases in Appetite: Dissociable Patterns of Aberrant Activity in Reward and Interoceptive Neurocircuitry”, the authors mention that in the “left anterior insula, the depressed appetite-decrease group demonstrated significantly less activity than the depressed appetite-increase group” (Simmons, W Kyle, et al. par. 19). Furthermore, according to the authors of “Central Nervous System Regulation of Eating: Insights from Human Brain Imaging”, “Homeostatic control by the hypothalamus is currently considered to be primarily responsible for controlling appetite” (Farr, Olivia M, et al. par. 1).
Therefore, as one can see, eating habits cannot easily be changed or “fixed” by a person changing their personality. It is not just a matter of self-control, pickiness, etc. that causes a person to eat differently than how they are expected. Other factors, such as being put in uncontrollable circumstances (for example mourning a death, rape, etc.) can affect the eating habits of a person. Negative emotions, which can also be paired with those uncontrollable circumstances, also influence eating habits. The way a person eats is composed of much more than the way they act.
Works Cited
- Ducharme, Jamie. “Here's Why You're Stress Eating And How to Stop Doing It.” Time, Time, 31 July 2018, time.com/5347612/how-to-stop-stress-eating/.
- Farr, Olivia M, et al. “Central Nervous System Regulation of Eating: Insights from Human Brain Imaging.” Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, U.S. National Library of Medicine, May 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4834455/.
- Nguyen-Rodriguez, Selena T, et al. “Psychological Determinants of Emotional Eating in Adolescence.” Eating Disorders, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2009, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2859040/#R19.
- Schrepf, Andrew, et al. “From Childhood Trauma to Elevated C-Reactive Protein in Adulthood: The Role of Anxiety and Emotional Eating.” Psychosomatic Medicine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5660872/.
- Simmons, W Kyle, et al. “Depression-Related Increases and Decreases in Appetite: Dissociable Patterns of Aberrant Activity in Reward and Interoceptive Neurocircuitry.” The American Journal of Psychiatry, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Apr. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818200/.
- Strutner, Suzy. “Why You Lose Your Appetite When You're Upset.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 15 Feb. 2017, www.huffpost.com/entry/stress-and-appetite_n_589bab58e4b04061313b8593.
- Uddin, Lucina Q, et al. “Structure and Function of the Human Insula.” Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology: Official Publication of the American Electroencephalographic Society, U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6032992/.
- van Strien, Tatjana. “Causes of Emotional Eating and Matched Treatment of Obesity.” Current Diabetes Reports, Springer US, 25 Apr. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5918520/#CR10.
- Yau, Y H C, and M N Potenza. “Stress and Eating Behaviors.” Minerva Endocrinologica, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Sept. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4214609/#R18.
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