emotional eating

American  

[ih-moh-shuh-nl ee-ting] / ɪˈmoʊ ʃə nl ˈi tɪŋ /

noun

1. eating, often excessively, as a response to stress, boredom, unhappiness, or other emotional condition, rather than as a response to physical hunger.

   Prolonged loneliness can lead to a number of unhealthy habits, including emotional eating.

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Etymology

Origin of emotional eating

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

However, by the 12 month mark, emotional eating and restrained eating had largely returned to their original levels.

From Science Daily • May 7, 2026

The first was emotional eating, in which people eat to cope with negative feelings instead of physical hunger.

From Science Daily • May 7, 2026

“This type of obsessive food-related thinking can override hunger cues and lead to patterns of overeating, undereating or emotional eating — especially for people who are overweight,” Tufts said.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2025

But other factors might also contribute to the likelihood of emotional eating.

From Salon • Sep. 24, 2024

They did find that participants who scored high for emotional eating did show some signs of subclinical cardiovascular damage 13 years later.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 13, 2023