"Unhealthy" food during the COVID-19 lockdown
How social interactions and mood influenced eating behavior
During the first COVID-19 lockdown, researchers from the University of Vienna investigated the influence of stress, mood and social interactions on "unhealthy" eating habits in almost 800 participants from Austria, Italy and Germany. Contrary to expectations, the results showed that low mood and few social interactions led to a lower consumption of "unhealthy" foods. In turn, eating such meals appeared to help maintain positive emotions and reduce stress - but did not counteract low mood. These results underline the role of food in coping with emotional challenges. The study, led by psychologists Ana Stijovic and Giorgia Silani from the University of Vienna, has now been published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
In previous studies, COVID-19 lockdowns have been linked to an increase in unhealthy behaviors such as unhealthy eating. However, the psychological cause of such behaviors was previously unclear. Unhealthy eating was seen as a possible attempt to cope with restrictions on social habits. In their new study, the scientists have now investigated the connection between acute stress, mood, social interactions and unhealthy eating behavior in everyday life and come to a surprising conclusion.
The team, led by Ana Stijovic and Giorgia Silani from the Institute of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Vienna, analyzed data collected during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Austria, Italy and Germany. The almost 800 participants reported several times a day over seven consecutive days on their current stress levels, their mood, their desire for foods high in sugar, fat and salt, their consumption and enjoyment of such foods and the quantity and quality of social interactions. The scientists asked about foods such as chocolate, potato chips, fast food, sweets and cheese. With this analysis, the scientists refuted previous assumptions.
"Contrary to our expectations, the results showed that positive mood and quantity and quality of social interactions were associated with higher 'unhealthy' food consumption and enjoyment, while negative mood and fewer social contacts were associated with less consumption and enjoyment," explains Giorgia Silani. "Shared meals play an important role in promoting social bonding. More food is offered at such social occasions than in private settings, which is probably why consumption also increases. In addition to eating, we found that fewer social interactions were also associated with lower consumption of a variety of other rewards such as watching TV or smoking."
At the same time, the consumption of "unhealthy" foods was associated with a reduction in stress and more serenity. This suggests that "unhealthy" foods are still used to regulate mood. But: "Food was used to maintain an already positive mood, not so much to lift a negative mood," says Silani. These findings highlight the complex interplay between affective and social factors that influence "unhealthy" eating behavior.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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