The impact of trait and state anger on emotional eating following laboratory based mood induction

Abstract

A laboratory based mood induction study was conducted on 61 non-clinical participants at the University of Massachusetts Medical School with secondary analysis of data to assess the impact of trait and state anger on emotional eating behavior based on post-mood induction caloric consumption. Results of linear regression, ANOVA and general linear model (GLM) analyses revealed a significant correlation of trait anger (as assessed by STAS score at participant screening) with post-induction caloric intake (p = .0008), after removal of data point outliers. State anger, as assessed by difference in pre- and post- induction POMS score, was not significantly correlated with caloric intake (p = .12). There was no evidence of a significant interaction effect between trait and state anger (p = .13). Gender was associated with increased caloric intake in male participants (p < .0001); however, this was apparent following both anger and neutral mood inductions. The induction procedure (anger versus neutral mood induction) and order of inductions were controlled for and were not significantly related to caloric intake. The findings allowed for development of an overall regression equation based on trait anger, state anger, and gender which achieved an R2 of .32 (p < .0001), and suggested that for each one point increase in trait anger (by STAS score) there was a corresponding increase of 15 calories consumed. The importance of trait anger as a contributing factor in emotional eating deserves further study in larger samples and more natural settings, in particular to evaluate its potential contribution to pathologic eating behaviors and resultant disordered eating and obesity.