Research paper
Macht M. How emotions affect eating: a five-way model. Appetite. 2008;50(1):1-11. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2007.07.002. PMID: 17707947.
Why we cite it
Review paper proposing the most comprehensive framework for understanding how emotions affect eating — not a single mechanism but five distinct pathways. Published in *Appetite*, one of the top eating behavior journals, this paper corrected the oversimplification that "emotions cause overeating" by showing that different emotions, at different intensities, through different mechanisms, can either increase or decrease eating. The five-way model distinguishes between emotions that suppress eating (intense negative emotions), emotions that impair cognitive dietary control (making restrained eaters vulnerable to overeating), and eating used as an active emotion regulation strategy. For the project, this provides the nuanced framework for understanding emotional eating: it's not one thing, and the intervention depends on which of the five mechanisms is operating.
DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2007.07.002 · PubMed 17707947 · Publisher