Impulsivity Makes You More Likely to Binge Eat During Times of Stress

In time of stress and adversity, many of us seek comfort in food, which should not come as any surprise. Food is delicious, food is fun, and at times food even seems like everything. Although it’s completely acceptable to have a treat every now and then, turning food into a consistent solution to life’s problems may pave a dangerous path. In fact, many individuals may possess traits that make them more susceptible to practice binge eating.

According to a study done by Kelly Klump at Michigan State University, binge eating in response to negative feelings is more pronounced in individuals who demonstrate greater impulsivity. Eating may initially serve as a mere immediate coping mechanism, but impulsive individuals are more likely to further escalate this behaviour into dangerous binge eating. In her study, Klump uncovered that binge eaters may be doing so because they have a greater sense of ‘negative urgency’ leading to this dangerous coping mechanism.

It is important to consider alternative mechanisms to coping with negative situations, especially if you believe yourself to be particularly impulsive. Some alternative methods of dealing with stress include:

• Exercise
• Listening to music that soothes you
• Taking time away from the stressful situation
• Reaching out to friends and family
• Play a game
• Work on a new hobby

It’s beneficial to take breaks, but it’s also important to remember that completely avoiding life’s problems can end up making a difficult situation even worse in the long-term. Always feel confident in your ability to find solutions and don’t be shy to seek out support from others!

References:

Racine, S. E., Burt, S. A., Keel, P. K., Sisk, C. L., Neale, M. C., Boker, S. and Klump, K. L. (2015), Examining associations between negative urgency and key components of objective binge episodes. Int. J. Eat. Disord.. doi: 10.1002/eat.22412