Research paper
Moynihan AB, van Tilburg WAP, Igou ER, Wisman A, Donnelly AE, Mulcaire JB. Eaten up by boredom: consuming food to escape awareness of the bored self. Frontiers in Psychology. 2015 Apr 1;6:369. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00369
Why we cite it
Three-study investigation (N = 33 and N = 79 in the experimental studies) providing the first empirical evidence that boredom specifically — not general negative affect — drives maladaptive eating through a sensation-seeking mechanism. Distinguishes boredom eating from sadness-driven eating using a sadness control condition. Identifies objective self-awareness as a moderator — only highly self-aware individuals show the effect. Suggests that exciting healthy foods may redirect boredom eating — the hedge is this library’s own, recorded in the directory notes as ”offering exciting healthy alternatives may redirect” — offering a practical intervention pathway.