Can(not) take my eyes off food. Attention bias, craving and overeating

Abstract

According to theoretical models biased attention for food cues is related to craving and food (over)consumption. In three studies we assessed attention biases towards food cues by eye-movement recordings. Results indicated that overweight/obese individuals show a distinctive pattern of attentional bias for food that was associated with craving: Overweight participants directed their first gaze more often towards food pictures than healthy weight individuals, but subsequently showed reduced maintenance of attention on these pictures. The initial orientation bias towards food was positively correlated with food intake for overweight participants (study 1). Restrained and unrestrained eaters with a healthy weight did not differ in their attention allocation towards food. Instead, all participants showed an attentional bias for food (study 2). Manipulation of the expectancy to consume chocolate did not influence chocolate cravers’ attention bias towards chocolate cues or chocolate intake (study 3). After a craving induction, chocolate cravers showed an attention bias for chocolate cues and consumed more chocolate irrespective of the expected availability of chocolate. These results indicate that attention biases towards food are related to craving and are potentially associated with overweight and excessive food consumption.