Abstract
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.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 521-524 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Health Psychology |
Volume | 31 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2012 |
Keywords
- boredom
- emotional eating
- emotional eating scale