Why do we have to eat when we're bored?
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Understanding Why We Eat When We're Bored
Boredom and Emotional Eating
Boredom is a significant emotional state that can lead to increased food consumption. Research indicates that boredom often marks a perceived lack of meaning in the present situation, prompting individuals to seek distractions, such as eating, to escape this feeling1. This behavior is particularly prevalent among individuals with high objective self-awareness, who may consume more calories, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins when bored1.
The Drive to Escape Monotony
Eating when bored is not necessarily driven by a desire for rewarding stimulation but rather by a need to escape the monotony of the situation. Studies have shown that people are more likely to consume snacks, such as M&Ms, when bored, and may even resort to self-administering electrical shocks to alleviate boredom2. This suggests that the primary motivation for eating when bored is to break the monotony rather than to seek pleasure from food.
Boredom as a Distinct Emotional Trigger
Boredom has been identified as a distinct emotional trigger for eating, separate from other negative emotions. In a study revising the Emotional Eating Scale (EES), boredom emerged as a unique factor, with participants more frequently reporting eating in response to boredom than to other negative emotions3. This highlights the importance of considering boredom as a separate dimension of emotional eating.
Impact of Boredom During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated feelings of boredom, leading to changes in eating behaviors. Individuals who reported increased boredom during the pandemic also reported higher levels of snacking and lower scores in intuitive eating, although their overall diet quality did not differ significantly from those who did not experience increased boredom4. This suggests that boredom can negatively impact eating habits, even if it does not directly affect diet quality.
Influence of Media Content on Eating
The type of media content consumed can also influence eating behaviors. Watching boring TV programs has been shown to encourage excessive eating, while engaging content can reduce concurrent food intake5. This indicates that the emotional content of media, rather than the modality (e.g., TV vs. text), plays a more significant role in influencing eating behaviors.
Gender Differences in Emotional Eating
Boredom is a common trigger for eating among both men and women, particularly those undergoing obesity treatment. However, women tend to have higher scores for emotional eating related to other emotions, such as depression and anger, compared to men6. Understanding these gender differences can help tailor interventions to better address emotional eating triggers.
Boredom and Food Choice Motivation
During the COVID-19 pandemic, boredom was associated with choosing food for convenience rather than health reasons. Bored individuals were less motivated by ethical or natural content considerations when selecting food, and boredom was linked to greater changes in weight over time7. This underscores the role of boredom in influencing food choices and health outcomes.
Conclusion
Eating when bored is a complex behavior driven by the need to escape monotony and the lack of engaging activities. Boredom is a distinct emotional trigger for eating, separate from other negative emotions, and can significantly impact eating behaviors and food choices. Understanding the motivations behind eating when bored can help develop better strategies to manage this behavior and promote healthier eating habits.
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Most relevant research papers on this topic
Eaten up by boredom: consuming food to escape awareness of the bored self
Boredom increases eating to distract from the experience, with more exciting, healthy foods serving as an alternative to maladaptive consumption.
Non-RCT
Highly CitedEating and inflicting pain out of boredom
Boredom promotes eating and self-inflicting pain, mainly driven by the drive to escape monotony, rather than an increased desire for rewarding stimulation.
Non-RCT
Rigorous JournalHighly CitedEating when bored: revision of the emotional eating scale with a focus on boredom.
Eating when bored is a distinct construct from other negative emotions, and should be considered a separate dimension of emotional eating.
Observational StudyHighly CitedDiffering Experiences of Boredom During the Pandemic and Associations With Dietary Behaviors.
Eating due to boredom during the COVID-19 pandemic led to increased snacking and lower intuitive eating scores, potentially impacting diet quality.
Observational StudyWatching TV and Food Intake: The Role of Content
Boring TV encourages excessive eating, while Engaging TV reduces intake, suggesting emotional content is more important than the mode of delivery for food intake during TV viewing.
Non-RCTRigorous JournalA Comparison of Emotional Triggers for Eating in Men and Women with Obesity
Boredom is the most common and strongest emotional trigger for eating in people with obesity, regardless of sex or treatment, and understanding this link may help personalize lifestyle interventions.
Observational Study
Very Rigorous JournalConsumed by Boredom: Food Choice Motivation and Weight Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Boredom during the COVID-19 pandemic led to people choosing food more for convenience and less for health reasons, with no significant impact on overall weight changes.
Observational StudyRigorous JournalBoredom and eating in obese and non-obese individuals.
Boredom significantly increases food consumption for both obese and non-obese individuals, but the predicted interaction between weight and task was not found.
Non-RCTHighly CitedScoring or boring? Predicting boredom through repeated in-home consumption
Repeated in-home consumption of chicken soup C, a familiar flavor but new to chicken soup, leads to a smaller decrease in desire and liking over time compared to regular chicken soup A and improved chicken soup B.
Non-RCTHighly CitedPromoting young children's engagement in organized extracurricular activities: ‘Tiger parenting’ or obesity prevention?
Promoting young children's engagement in organized extracurricular activities may help reduce boredom and its impact on obesity risk.
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