The effect of ego-threatening stress on food intake and the role of extraversion

Abstract

The relationship between stress and eating behaviour has been investigated frequently. High levels of stress were found to be associated with increased food intake, which can lead to overweight. An important mechanism is the proposal that overeating results from an attempt to escape attention away from an ego-threatening stimulus that causes aversive self-awareness. However, ego-threatening stress is not the only trigger of overeating. The current study assessed the role of extraversion in the link between ego-threatening stress and overeating. The main hypothesis was that extraversion moderates the relationship between ego-threatening stress and eating behaviour. In a laboratory experiment, 72 participants were randomly divided in an ego-threatening stress group and a control group. The experiment questioned extraversion by using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. The subjects were asked to fill in the anagram and were given M&M’s to consume. No difference in food consumption were found between the ego-threatening stress group and the control group. Furthermore, extraversion did not moderate the relationship between ego-threatening stress and eating behaviour. Future research is needed to get a better understanding of the influence of personality, on ego-threatening stress and overeating.