People often blame willpower when diets fall apart, but new research suggests emotions in the moment may play a bigger role. In a small observational study published in the journal Food Quality and Preference, researchers found that immediate emotional states were strongly associated with the types of snacks people chose.
The study followed more than 150 women for seven days using an online snack diary. Participants recorded what they ate and how they felt just before taking their first bite. The findings suggest that emotions experienced right before eating were more closely linked to snack choices than a person’s general mood or personality traits.
“Our findings show that your immediate emotional state is a much stronger driver of snacking than your overall personality or your usual mood patterns,” said lead author Isaac Williams, Ph.D., a psychologist at Flinders University. “It’s those in-the-moment feelings that tend to push people off track.”
Researchers focused on people who reported actively trying to restrict their food intake. Among these participants, negative emotions such as stress or sadness were linked to a greater likelihood of choosing snacks like chocolate, pastries or chips.
“We found that women who were dieting were significantly more likely to choose unhealthy snacks when they felt negative emotions,” Williams said.
Dieters did not necessarily eat more food overall when their mood dropped. Instead, the difference showed up in the types of foods chosen.
“For people who are trying to diet, negative emotions seem to act as a trigger for breaking their healthy eating intentions,” Williams said. “It’s not that they eat more food overall, but that they choose foods that are higher in calories and lower in nutritional value.”
The pattern looked different for participants who were not dieting. When these individuals reported feeling happier than usual, they tended to eat more snacks overall, regardless of whether the foods were considered healthy or less healthy.
“We often think of comfort eating as something people do when they’re sad, but for many people, being in a good mood can be just as much of a temptation to indulge,” Williams said.
The study also examined whether emotion-regulation skills influenced eating behavior. Researchers expected that people who were better at managing emotions might be less likely to engage in emotional eating, but that was not strongly supported.
Instead, the factor that appeared most closely linked to eating choices was emotional awareness.
“Emotional awareness seems to be the real key,” Williams said.
Senior author Eva Kemps, Ph.D., an expert in eating behavior at Flinders University, said the findings highlight the importance of the emotional context immediately before eating.
“This tells us that what matters most is the immediate emotional context, not someone’s typical emotional style,” Kemps said.
Because the study relied on self-reported food diaries and included only women, the results may not apply to everyone. The research also shows associations rather than proving that emotions directly cause certain eating behaviors.
Still, the findings add to a large body of research suggesting that eating decisions are shaped by psychological factors as well as hunger and nutrition.
“We’re not as rational about food as we like to think,” Williams said. “Understanding your emotions in real time can help break the cycle of turning to unhealthy snacks when you feel stressed, tired or overwhelmed.”
The authors report that the study did not receive specific funding from public, commercial or nonprofit research agencies.