Eating away the Boredom? An Experimental and Ecological Momentary Assessment of State Boredom and Snack Consumption

Abstract

Negative emotions have been demonstrated to elicit emotional eating; however, it remains unclear whether state boredom, a relatively neutral negative emotion, can trigger emotional eating. It is also uncertain whether eating actually alleviates or exacerbates subsequent feelings of boredom. This study examined the relationship between state boredom and unhealthy snacking using both experimental and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) approaches. In Study 1, one hundred and forty-two participants who were randomly assigned to boredom-inducing, sadness-inducing, and neutral conditions, completed a food taste evaluation task while watching an emotion priming video. The boredom-induced group consumed significantly more potato chips than both the sadness-induced and neutral groups, with this effect becoming apparent after initial taste sampling. In Study 2, ninety-six participants completed four momentary assessments per day on state boredom, eating desire, and snack consumption over seven consecutive days. Dynamic structural equation modeling revealed that while snack consumption directly reduced concurrent boredom levels, it simultaneously increased boredom indirectly through heightened eating desire, creating a potentially problematic cycle. Between-person associations showed that individuals with higher overall boredom reported significantly higher eating desire and marginally higher snack consumption. These findings highlight robust boredom-snacking associations across laboratory and naturalistic settings. While snacking offers momentary boredom relief, the indirect amplification through increased desire suggests complex regulatory dynamics warranting further attention.