Attentional bias is more predictive of eating behavior after self-control exertion

There is experimental evidence to suggest that attentional bias to food stimuli may predict food intake. The process model of ego-depletion (Inzlicht & Schmeichel, 2012) proposes that after self-control exertion, attention shifts toward rewarding objects such as palatable food, which in turn should prompt greater food consumption as an indicator of lower self-control. In the current study, 84 female restrained and unrestrained eaters engaged in a self-control or neutral task, followed by a measure of attentional bias and an eating task. Results indicated there were no differences in attentional bias or amount eaten between self-control conditions and dietary restraint groups. However, a moderated regression showed that attentional bias toward food or self-control images predicted eating behavior only in participants who previously exerted self-control, while no effect was found for participants in the neutral condition. These results suggest that attentional bias may predict food intake, but only for individuals who have previously exerted self-control.