The effects of daily stress on eating behaviors: A comparison of restrained and unrestrained eaters

Restrained eaters tend to report an increase in their eating behavior in the presence of stress, whereas unrestrained eaters do not. Although this behavior has often been studied in one-time laboratory experiments, little research has been conducted in naturalistic settings. Our study examined the relationship between stress, eating and hunger among restrained and unrestrained eaters using daily assessment. We also examined the effects of interpersonal and noninterpersonal stress on eating, and negative affect as a mediator of the effects of stress on eating. 108 undergraduate participants completed initial measures to determine their trait-level restraint, and daily measures via website to assess their stress, restraint, eating and hunger. We found that as average daily stress increased, average daily restraint and average daily eating also increased. However, trait-level restraint did not predict these relationships. We also found a positive relationship between stress and hunger for men low in restraint.