“The stereotype holds. Generally, when negative feelings dominate, one eats sweet and fatty foods with high energy content,” says Hanna Konttinen, who is defending her doctoral dissertation on Friday.
The overweight are more likely to resort to comfort food than those whose weight is normal. The research shows that so-called emotional eating is one of the reasons why a notable part of those suffering from symptoms of depression are overweight. Quite often, munching on sweets can make one feel momentarily better.
“The process of eating brings gratification in and of itself, so in that way food can be used to keep negative feelings in check,” says Konttinen.
Women fall into comfort eating more frequently than men.
In recent times, studies into links between feelings and eating have been launched in various parts of the world. Konttinen's dissertation based its research on the national Finriski health study, in which some 5,000 people participated.
