How visual images of chocolate affect the craving and guilt of female dieters.
This study asks whether exposure to images of chocolate induces cravings and guilty feelings in females. A further aim was to examine whether these effects are heightened in the case of dieters. The participants, 85 females, saw a series of enticing media images, either of chocolate or of non-food products. Two thirds of the sample were dieting or had dieted in the past; 15% had been on seven or more diets. After viewing the images all participants completed the Attitudes to Chocolate Questionnaire (ACQ) [Benton, Greenfield, & Morgan (1998). The development of the attitudes to chocolate questionnaire. Personality and Individual Differences, 24(4), 513-520]. The different conditions affected only those who dieted. Dieters had significantly higher ACQ scores after viewing the chocolate images than the non-dieters. It is suggested that dietary restriction increases desire for forbidden foods, in the form of craving, and may induce negative affect such as guilt, anxiety and depression.
Fletcher
Ben C
BC
School of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9AB, UK.
Pine
Karen J
KJ
Woodbridge
Zoe
Z
Nash
Avril
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001143:Arousal; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002099:Cacao; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000523:psychology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006167:Guilt; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010781:Photography; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires