Eating when bored: Revision of the emotional eating scale with a focus on boredom

Objective: The current study explored whether eating when bored is a distinct construct from other negative emotions by revising the Emotional Eating Scale (EES) to include a separate boredom factor. Additionally, the relative endorsement of eating when bored compared to eating in response to other negative emotions was examined. Method: A convenience sample of 139 undergraduates completed open-ended questions regarding their behaviors when experiencing different levels of emotions. Participants were then given the 25-item EES with 6 additional items designed to measure boredom. Results: On the open-ended items, participants more often reported eating in response to boredom than the other emotions. Exploratory factor analysis showed that boredom is a separate construct from other negative emotions. Additionally, the most frequently endorsed item on the EES was "eating when bored." Conclusions: These results suggest that boredom is an important construct, and that it should be considered a separate dimension of emotional eating.