A new study shows that not only do emotions play a role in the foods that we eat, but so does thinking about the future.
University of Delaware associate professor Meryl Gardner started by asking the same question we all ask ourselves sometimes.
"Why when someone is in a bad mood will they choose to eat junk food and why when someone is in a good mood will they make healthier food choices?" she queried in a press release
In this study, researchers found that individuals in negative moods will still choose foods based on their understanding of time, proving that looking to the future can reduce indulging in certain foods.
"In an evolutionary sense, it makes sense that when we feel uncomfortable or are in a bad mood, we know something is wrong and focus on what is close to us physically and what is close in time, in the here and now," Gardner said.
Looking at both a person's emotions and their perspective of time, the researchers conducted four laboratory experiments to determine whether people in a positive mood would go for healthy foods when thinking about long-term health effects and well-being benefits, and whether those in a negative mood would prefer indulgent foods to healthier options for immediate, short-term benefits.
The findings, based on the choices of 211 individuals from local parent-teacher associations (PTAs), show that participants in a positive mood, compared to a control group, favored healthier foods. A second report studying 315 undergraduate students from a Midwestern university supported their findings that people in negative moods prefer indulgent foods.
According to Gardner, the study suggests that people in a positive mood have a better perspective on the future and think more abstractly when faced with food options, therefore making healthier choices. Those in negative moods focus on the immediate taste and sensory experience of the food. But, those same sulking individuals will still make food choices influenced by their perspective of time, referred to as time construal, supporting the researchers' hypothesis that focusing on the future - and not the present - can reduce emotional, indulgent eating.
When it comes to kicking emotional eating habits, Gardner has a few of her own tricks up her sleeve.
"Instead of looking at nutrition and warning labels, try talking to friends or listening to music," she said.
