Emotional reactivity and eating in binge eating and obesity

The present study investigated daily mood fluctuations and moods during eating in normal and overweight binge and nonbinge eaters (N = 56) and moods during binge and nonbinge episodes of individuals who binge eat (N = 29). For 2 weeks, subjects completed the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist each morning and continuously recorded the mood during eating and the type and quantity of food eaten during each eating episode. The results indicated that bingers experience greater fluctuations of anxiety and depression than nonbingers and overweight individuals experience greater fluctuations in anxiety, hostility, and depression than normal-weight individuals. In addition, for bingers, negative mood states are experienced during a significantly greater proportion of binge episodes than nonbinge episodes, although the intensity of the negative mood state was not related to the severity of the binge-eating episode. Theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.