Bidirectional associations between affect and food craving within and between individuals

A mega-analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID11355403
AuthorsMatthias Burkard Aulbach (0000-0003-3830-2867, University of Salzburg, corresponding author), Christoph Bamberg (0000-0002-4875-9943, University of Salzburg), Julia Reichenberger (0000-0003-4982-410X, University of Salzburg), Ann-Kathrin Arend (0000-0003-3024-9328, University of Salzburg), Jens Blechert (0000-0002-3820-109X, University of Salzburg)
Year2025
Volume209
Pages107936
Publication date2025-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAppetite (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0195-6663 • E-ISSN: 1095-8304
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.appet.2025.107936
PMID40064298
OpenAlexW4408265943
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited67

The empirical robustness of emotional eating and stress eating - the tendency to eat in response to affective experience - is under ongoing debate. Is this a general phenomenon or is this seen only in certain groups? And, if so, can such interindividual differences be reliably assessed with self-report questionnaires? Here, we approach this question not through measuring overt eating - a behavior that is subject to several contextual conditions - but through food craving, an important precursor to food intake that can be triggered rapidly and involuntarily. We also study temporal ordering, i.e., whether affect cooccurs with, precedes, or follows craving. We pooled 8 ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies comprising 764 participants answering 4-6 daily questionnaires for 7-20 days (mega-analysis). Trait-level eating style questionnaire scores were modeled as moderators for potential emotion/stress-craving relationships. Negatively toned affect (feeling bored, irritated, stressed) but also positive affect (cheerful, enthusiastic, relaxation with reverse direction) co-occurred with more craving. Feeling bored, stressed, or less relaxed, calm, and cheerful was also associated with later craving which, in turn, related to feeling more relaxed and less stressed at the next time point. Eating style questionnaires moderated concurrent but not prospective affect-craving or craving-affect relationships. Our results highlight the disparities between questionnaires and EMA measures, particularly for prospective relationships. Affect and craving seem to interact in close temporal proximity in this mostly healthy weight sample whereas the predictive validity of eating style questionnaires for naturalistic contexts is limited. We suggest a refined terminology to reflect these findings

Craving · Food craving · Mega · Psychiatry · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Communication · Eating Disorders and Behaviors · Psychology · Sensory Analysis and Statistical Methods

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