Film-induced sadness as a trigger for disinhibited eating

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Objective We tested whether film-induced sadness enhances food intake in restrained eaters. Method Female participants scoring either high or low on a measure of dietary restraint viewed two film segments in counterbalanced order on successive days: an emotionally neutral travelogue and a sad film depicting the death of the young female protagonist. Results Contrast analyses revealed that film-induced sadness significantly reduced food intake in low-restraint individuals, but only nonsignificantly increased it in high-restraint individuals. Discussion When sadness is induced without an apparent ego threat, high-restraint participants may not exhibit as much disinhibited eating as when they are exposed to mood inductions that threaten their self-esteem. © 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 28: 215–220, 2000.