Inducing impulsivity versus inhibition affects food intake in a sample of healthy women

Abstract

Previous research has related impulsivity to increased food intake and obesity. However, the precise nature of this relationship is not clear. One possibility is that impulsivity causes overeating and hence contributes to overweight. To test this possibility, we induced impulsivity versus inhibition to see whether this would affect subsequent food intake. Participants performed the stop signal task with either an inhibition instruction or an impulsive instruction, and were then asked to do a taste test. We expected that inducing impulsivity, by training people to act impulsively during the task, would lead to more food intake during a subsequent bogus taste test compared to inducing inhibition. Restraint and current dieting were also measured. Restraint status had no effect, but dieting status turned out to be an important moderating factor: the non-dieters acted as expected and ate more after the impulsivity induction than after the inhibition induction. However, current dieters did the opposite and ate more after the inhibition induction. Possible explanations are discussed. At least for non-dieters, we can conclude that heightened impulsivity versus inhibition leads to higher food intake.