Kelsey Wallach

Response Paper #6
11.08.2013
My older sister has always said that nothing fixes a broken heart like cookie dough and
chocolate ice cream. High school breakups were always accompanied with a tub of Ben & Jerrys
and, after our bowls were licked clean, I always felt a little better. When my roommates parents
announced they were getting a divorce, I came home armed with all the best comfort foods. But
my roommate said she had no appetite. In fact, in the weeks following it became a struggle to get
her to eat at all. These situations raise some interesting questions: Why is it that indulging in
comfort food makes me feel less sad? Also, why does the same (or very similar) emotion have
such drastically different effects on motivation to eat? What effects does experiencing emotions
have on our eating habits in general?
Much of the research on emotion-induced changes in eating attributes increases in
consumption to psychological factors, while reductions in food intake are associated with
physiological mechanisms (Macht 2008). However, to me it seems that attributing these
behaviors to only two broad and separate systems does not fully address the amount of
variability and nuances of emotion-induced changes in consumption. In my research I discovered
a Five-way Model of emotion-induced changes of eating, which I feel provides a much more
comprehensive understanding of the way emotion and food consumption interact.
Dr. Michael Macht, author of the Five-way Model, takes into account both characteristics
of the individual as well as features of the emotion when examining how experiencing emotion
changes the way we eat. His model proposes five different ways that emotion and food
consumption affect one another.
Macht first recognizes the influence of food-induced emotions as determinants of food
choice. He bases this idea in evolutionary theory; consuming foods high in sugars and fat, which
are physiologically beneficial, elicit a positive emotion that would encourage ingestion. In
contrast, bitter foods, which are often associated with toxins, would evoke negative emotions that
promote avoidance of the food. The feeling of disgust or pleasure we get from eating a certain
food regulates what we eat in the future (Macht 2008).
The second tenant of the Five-way Model suggests that emotions high in intensity or
arousal will suppress food intake. This is supported by studies that link intense emotions with
both behavioral and physiological responses that interfere with normal eating habits. Intense

sadness, for example, is often accompanied by withdrawal and disinterest from the surrounding
environment. The physiological stress response, which can be elicited by intense emotion,
activates the sympathetic nervous system which in turn suppresses digestion. Both of these
mechanisms would lower an individuals motivation to eat (Macht 2008).
Macht proposes that experiencing an emotion may also impair cognitive control of food
intake. This relationship between food and emotion would be especially relevant to dieters.
Emotional events require attention to be processed, and so the cognitive capacity usually
reserved for maintaining a restricted diet becomes more limited (Macht 2008).
The fourth tenant of Machts model is perhaps the most studied. He proposes that
negative emotions prompt increased food consumption as a mechanism to regulate emotions..
The creation of the negative emotion-food relationship could be viewed as a learning process,
where the negative emotion is the eliciting stimuli, eating the food is the operant behavior and
the following reduction of the negative emotion would serve as negative reinforcement. Eating
can also be seen as a basic coping mechanism by reducing levels of arousal by acting as a
distraction from the negative emotion. These ideas are supported by numerous studies, including
one that demonstrated that the positive affective reactions elicited by sweet foods had an
immediate calming effect on stressed infants (Macht 2008).
Lastly, Macht states that the nature of an emotion has an effect on the experience of
eating. Feelings of sadness decrease reported palatability ratings of food, while happy diners
report higher ratings of food pleasantness and motivation to eat. If we examine the features of
these emotions this congruency effect seems logical. Sadness is associated with an absence of
interest and attention to external environment, while joy often results in an increased willingness
to perceive and process stimuli (Macht 2008).
I really enjoyed learning about Machts model. It was interesting to evaluate my own
emotion-induced bingeing habits in light of the theories he suggests. I think the Five-way Model
emphasizes that, like so many topics in psychology, there isnt one simple answer to explain a
certain behavior. I find it fascinating that such a socially driven construct as emotion has such an
impact on one of the very most basic biological drives. I would be interested to investigate one of
Machts closing questions, that is the role that emotion plays in influencing other biologically
motivated behaviors such as thirst, sex or aggression.

I continue to find fascinating intersections between psychological and

biological/physiological processes. I am begin to realize the real significance of the link between
the two fields- not only does the state of our body affect our mind, but how we think and feel
also has a major impact on our physical well-being.

Macht, M. (2008). How emotions affect eating: a five-way model. Appetite, 50, 1-11. doi:
10.1016/j.appet.2007.07.002