EMOTIONAL EATING Definition & Meaning

emotional eating

[ ih-moh-shuh-nl ee-ting ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

eating, often excessively, as a response to stress, boredom, unhappiness, or other emotional condition, rather than as a response to physical hunger: Compare comfort eating, stress eating ( def ).
Prolonged loneliness can lead to a number of unhealthy habits, including emotional eating.

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First recorded in 1975–80

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Examples have not been reviewed.

In a study of more than 1,500 adolescents, 34% engaged in emotional eating while sad and 40% did so while anxious.

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For some people, emotional eating was simply a habit formed earlier in life that has persisted over time.

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But other factors might also contribute to the likelihood of emotional eating.

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Often we label emotions as good or bad, and this can result in fear, avoidance, and unhelpful coping strategies such as emotional eating.

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There are many therapeutic interventions that work to improve aspects associated with emotional eating.

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