Understanding dieting: A social cognitive analysis of hedonic processes in self-regulation

Abstract

The present paper introduces a novel approach to understanding failures of self-regulation in chronic dieters. Traditional approaches to this problem have focused on consciously controlled processes of eating regulation, such as the realisation that one has overeaten, or the experience of food cravings. We argue, however, that dieters' problem might rather lie in their sensitivity to the hedonic aspects of food and the resulting inhibition of their dieting goal. We present a goal-conflict model that integrates recent findings on hedonic sensitivity in eating regulation with social cognition research on nonconscious goal pursuit. We show that the perception of attractive food triggers hedonic thoughts about food in chronic dieters and leads to the inhibition of their dieting goal. These processes make subsequent overeating more likely, while bypassing dieters' conscious awareness. We discuss how our model can accommodate earlier research findings in this area, and we consider its implications for dieting behaviour and for our attempts to resist temptations more generally.

Notes

¹A person's degree of overweight or obesity can be determined via the body mass index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing the body weight (in kilograms) by the squared height (in metres). While a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal weight, a BMI of 25 or higher indicates overweight, and a BMI of 30 or higher, obesity (World Health Organisation, 2000).