Emotional Eating
Understanding why we eat when we're not hungry
Emotional eating is when we use food to manage feelings rather than to satisfy physical hunger. It's incredibly common-and understanding it is the first step to changing the pattern.
What Is Emotional Eating?
Emotional eating is the practice of consuming food in response to feelings rather than hunger. According to research published in Appetite, emotional eating accounts for a significant portion of overeating episodes, with some studies suggesting up to 75% of overeating is emotionally driven.
It's important to understand that emotional eating exists on a spectrum. Occasionally eating comfort food when stressed is normal human behaviour. It becomes problematic when it's your primary coping mechanism and leads to negative consequences like weight gain, guilt, or feeling out of control.
The American Psychological Association's annual stress survey consistently finds that about 40% of adults report overeating or eating unhealthy foods due to stress. You're not alone in this.
As the Mind charity explains, eating problems aren't just about food-they can be about trying to cope with or hide painful feelings, even from yourself.
Common Emotional Eating Triggers
Research has identified several primary emotional triggers for eating. Understanding which ones affect you is key to breaking the pattern.
Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which increases appetite and cravings for high-calorie foods. Harvard Health notes that stress creates both biological and psychological drives to eat.
Eating provides stimulation when we're understimulated. Studies show that boredom eating is distinct from hunger and often involves seeking novelty and distraction.
Food can temporarily fill an emotional void. Research in Psychological Science found that comfort foods are often associated with relationships and social connection.
The repetitive act of eating can be soothing. Chewing and the oral sensation provide a form of self-soothing that temporarily reduces anxious feelings.
When we're exhausted, we instinctively reach for quick energy. Sleep deprivation also disrupts hunger hormones, increasing appetite.
Eating as reward or release after a difficult experience. Food becomes a way to self-soothe or feel you "deserve" something.
The Brain Science Behind Emotional Eating
Understanding the neuroscience helps explain why emotional eating can feel so compelling-and why willpower alone often fails.
The Dopamine Connection
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. Highly palatable foods-especially those high in sugar, fat, and salt-trigger dopamine release in the brain's reward centre. This creates a powerful learning signal: "This felt good. Do it again."
Over time, the brain can become conditioned to seek food when experiencing negative emotions because it has learned that eating provides temporary relief. This is similar to how other reward-seeking behaviours become habitual.
The Cortisol-Appetite Link
When you're stressed, your body releases cortisol, the "stress hormone." Research shows that cortisol:
- Increases appetite, particularly for calorie-dense foods
- Promotes fat storage, especially in the abdominal area
- Can override normal hunger and fullness signals
- Creates a biological drive to eat that feels urgent
This explains why stress eating often involves specific types of "comfort foods" rather than, say, vegetables. Your brain is literally seeking the most efficient calorie and dopamine sources.
Physical Hunger vs Emotional Hunger
Learning to distinguish between physical and emotional hunger is one of the most valuable skills in mindful eating. Here are the key differences:
| Physical Hunger | Emotional Hunger |
|---|---|
| Develops gradually | Comes on suddenly |
| Felt in the stomach (growling, emptiness) | Felt in the head (thoughts, mouth watering) |
| Open to various foods | Craves specific foods |
| Can wait | Feels urgent, demanding |
| Stops when full | May continue past fullness |
| Leads to satisfaction | Often leads to guilt or shame |
The Harvard Health Guide to Mindful Eating emphasizes that this distinction takes practice. Don't expect to get it right immediately-awareness develops over time.
Identifying Your Personal Triggers
While common triggers exist, everyone's emotional eating patterns are unique. Building awareness of your specific triggers is essential for change.
Questions to Ask Yourself
When you feel the urge to eat (and aren't physically hungry), pause and consider:
- What just happened? Did something trigger this urge?
- What am I feeling? Can you name the emotion?
- Where do I feel it? Is it in your stomach or elsewhere?
- What do I really need? Rest? Connection? Comfort?
Keeping a simple journal or using the tracking features in our app can help you spot patterns over time. You might discover that you consistently reach for food after certain meetings, at specific times of day, or when dealing with particular people or situations.
Our Pause tool prompts you to identify what you're feeling before deciding what to do. Over time, this builds the habit of checking in with yourself.
The Power of Naming Emotions
One of the most effective techniques for managing emotional eating is surprisingly simple: name what you're feeling.
Research by UCLA neuroscientist Matthew Lieberman has shown that putting feelings into words-a process called "affect labelling"-reduces activity in the amygdala (the brain's emotional centre) and increases activity in the prefrontal cortex (responsible for reasoning and self-control).
In other words, simply saying "I'm feeling anxious" or "I'm feeling lonely" helps shift your brain from reactive mode to a calmer, more thoughtful state. This creates space between the trigger and your response.
How to Practice
- Use specific emotion words (anxious, frustrated, lonely) rather than vague ones (bad, stressed)
- Say it out loud or write it down for stronger effect
- Don't judge the emotion-just acknowledge it
- Notice if the urge to eat shifts after naming what you feel
This technique is built into our Pause flow. When you start a pause, one of the first steps is to identify and name your emotion. This isn't just a formality-it's a research-backed intervention that helps reduce the power of the craving.
Additional Resources
Scientific sources referenced in this article:
- Emotional eating and food intake after sadness and joy - Appetite
- Stress in America Survey - American Psychological Association
- Why stress causes people to overeat - Harvard Health
- Boredom and eating behaviour - Frontiers in Psychology
- Comfort food and social surrogates - Psychological Science
- Dopamine and food reward - Frontiers in Psychology
- Putting feelings into words: Affect labelling - UCLA
- Mindful Eating - Harvard Health
- Eating Problems - Mind UK
- A Brief Guide to Tackling Emotional Eating - NHS Cambridge
Practice naming your emotions
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The Pause flow guides you through identifying what you're feeling before deciding whether to eat. Over time, you'll build the habit of checking in with yourself-and the urge often fades once you name it.
Tip: Use it next time you feel the urge to eat but aren't physically hungry.
This content is educational and based on our interpretation of published research. See our Educational Content Disclaimer. · Last updated January 2026