Comfort Food: Scientists Find a Link Between Emotional Expectations and Eating Habits

Participants were shown pictures of 18 foods and non-alcoholic beverages, including chocolate, ice cream, cakes, fruit, vegetables and ready-made meals. Some of the images included branding. The researchers assessed what emotions participants expected to experience when consuming each product and then compared their responses with the quality of their diets and the frequency of so-called emotional eating — the tendency to eat in response to negative emotions.

On average, foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) elicited stronger expectations of positive emotions than foods outside this category. However, the effect was small. Branding did not consistently increase positive expectations: in the statistical model, the presence of a brand was actually associated with slightly lower ratings of expected positive emotions.

The highest positive expectation ratings were given to ice cream with toppings, chocolate, strawberries, cake and a traditional roast dinner. However, strawberries and roast dinner also ranked among the top choices, suggesting that anticipated enjoyment is not limited to foods high in sugar, fat or salt. Shrimp curry, salad and carrots received the lowest ratings.

The analysis revealed a small association between stronger positive expectations about HFSS foods and a less healthy diet. These expectations were also linked to more frequent emotional eating. People who more often ate in response to negative emotions were found to have stronger negative expectations about many foods, including those that do not fall into the HFSS category.

The researchers note that emotional expectations may be one of several factors influencing eating behavior, alongside taste and other circumstances. They suggest exploring behavioral approaches that could help people rethink the belief that certain foods necessarily improve their emotional well-being.