The science behind stress eating has shown that under stress the brain chooses the short-term reward, which is food. Food is also a comfort, which helps to relieve the stress for a short while. One study looked at MRIs of men and found that the stressed group chose unhealthy foods while the others did not. The brain during this time saw an increase in activity in the amygdala (areas of emotion and reward) and a lower level of activity in the pre-frontal cortex (areas of decision making and self-control). This shows that there is a physiological reason that stress eating occurs and that willpower alone might not due the trick. The best way is to remove the temptation (food) away from you while working, find healthy alternatives to reduce stress like working out, and if needed seek social support.
The video below explains the experiment that took place about stress eating:
I also looked into this because I honestly use to be the biggest stress eater ever. I never really understood why until I took this class and really learned more about it. It is like you are so stressed out and just need something to make you feel full and thats what food does. Instead of eating turning to working out or other hobbies will help avoid this issue. Your post was extremely helpful along with the video! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI thought this was very insightful and was extremely relatable. It is no secret that in stressful situations people including myself might seek food specifically unhealthy food as a comfort. You added great alternatives and suggestions to avoid stress eating.
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