Film-induced sadness as a trigger for disinhibited eating.
OBJECTIVE
We tested whether film-induced sadness enhances food intake in restrained eaters.


METHODS
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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Sheppard-Sawyer
C L
CL
Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
McNally
R J
RJ
Fischer
J H
JH
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001154:Art; D002032:Bulimia / Q000523:psychology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012649:Self Concept