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Reasons People Eat Other Than Hunger

Mindless, out-of-control eating is a national pastime. Greater than 2/3 of the people in America are overweight or obese, according to the Weight-Control Information Network of the National Institute of Diabetes. It stands to reason, then, that there must be underlying causes that create the impulse to eat when not hungry. Understanding these root causes is an important precursor to addressing the problem of obesity.

  1. By the Clock

    • People who are used to eating their meals at certain times during the day tend to eat whether they or hungry or not. A recent publication of the Student Wellness Center of Ohio State University states that people may think that what they are feeling is hunger, but many times it is not. It is the mental phenomenon of appetite, which is the desire for food. True hunger is generated by a physiological need for food. Appetite is not.

    Mood and Emotions

    • Many people eat in response to their mood. Weight-loss coach Kathryn Martyn Smith, M.NLP, EFT, teaches in her publication "One More Bite" that anger can generate a compulsion that is only satisfied with food. So can revenge. Food can be used to calm anxiety, temper sadness and lift depression. It's a remedy for boredom. Sometimes even happiness can trigger a desire to eat. This is because food tastes good and makes people feel better. Food is their friend and comforter. It never fails.

    Filling the Void

    • Eating when not hungry is a void-filler. It may be a psychological void created by depression or anxiety, or an emotional void like rejection or loneliness. Dr. C. George Boeree explains in his article, "The Emotional Nervous System," that eating stimulates a portion of the brain called the hypothalamus. It is also referred to as the pleasure center of the brain. When a person is depressed or unable to experience pleasure because of anxiety or loneliness, eating is a quick fix. It always works, and this reinforces the behavior of eating when not hungry.

    Social Eating and Procrastination

    • Food is a social lubricant. When people get together at a function that serves refreshments, it is common for many of them to eat because everyone else is eating. This recreational eating also occurs when putting off an undesirable activity like mowing the lawn or cleaning out the closet. Grazing on munchies buys time.

    Eating Disorders

    • People with binge-eating disorder eat large amounts of food when they are not hungry. The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) states that these people don't stop eating until they feel uncomfortably full. NEDA also maintains that bulimia nervosa (binge-eating and purging) is similar to binge-eating disorder, except that after stuffing themselves with food, they purge themselves of it.

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