Moods, Emotions and How They Influence Our Food Choices

Negative Moods and potential nutritional consequences

It is normal and healthy for us to experience negative moods from time to time, particularly during stressful times in our lives. This may include a loss of a loved one, loss of a job or relationship, financial stress or an unexpected car accident. These events typically create negative moods and thoughts, which inevitably affect our behavior. However, if negative moods persist, and we are not aware of how we are reacting to these negative moods, we may be making poor choices that are reinforcing those negative moods, creating a negative cycle that is tough to get out of. Research has supported the idea that emotions influence our ability to make decisions through decades of different studies. For example, Lerner et. al (2013) found that people who felt sad accepted up to 34 percent less money in order to get paid now, rather than three months from now. We don’t need research to tell us that when we feel fear, we either fight, flee or freeze, a response known as the fight or flight response. You can see how these emotions directly affect our immediate reactions, but what does this have to do with nutrition? The implications of Lerner et. al’s study indicates that when a person is feeling sad, they want to receive the short term benefits and gains instead of waiting for bigger benefits and gains in the long term, implicating that when we are sad, we are becoming more impatient and less objective and rational in our decision making. With regards to nutritional decisions, this could look like going to McDonalds to get that happy meal because that is instant gratification, instead of researching a more local and healthier food option or even preparing meals earlier in the week or the day that are more healthful for you. Perhaps you might even forget to eat because you are ruminating (thinking about something over and over again without coming up with a solution) and obsessing over the job interview you had last week that you still wondering why you never got a phone call back from. Perhaps you scarf down your food instead of taking the time to sit, relax and chew your food properly to aid in the digestive process. Maybe you forget to stay hydrated throughout the day because you are so focused on your negative thoughts and emotions that feel overwhelming and scary. These decisions will negatively affect you physically and in turn, will negatively affect you mentally and emotionally because these decisions only reinforce your negative thoughts and mood. Deciding to act opposite to your negative mood and thoughts is tough and requires awareness, but this is what will help you to not make those unhealthy decisions, to help you think more objectively and rationally in the moment so that you can make a healthful decision nutritionally. Your stomach won’t just thank you, but your mind and feelings will catch up as well.

Here are some actions you can take to help you get out of this negative cycle:

1.     Increase your self awareness by identifying and acknowledging how you feel. Take a pause: maybe you feel stressed and you can physically feel the tension in your neck and shoulders.

2.     Stay in that pause and think about what action you want to take next: You know you are hungry and that pizza across the street looks and smells really good. But if you know if you eat that you will feel bloated and lethargic an hour later, remind yourself of that. Think about the consequences of taking that action and think about how you WANT to feel instead.

3.     Make that healthful decision even if you don’t want to in the moment. Research has showed that acting opposite to our emotions helps us change and transform that emotion.

Lerner, J. S., Li, Y., Valdesolo, P., and Kassam, K. S. (2015). Emotion and decision making. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 66, 33.1–33.25.