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

“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

Often we label emotions as good or bad, and this can result in fear, avoidance, and unhelpful coping strategies such as emotional eating.

From Salon • Sep. 24, 2024

In a study of more than 1,500 adolescents, 34% engaged in emotional eating while sad and 40% did so while anxious.

From Salon • Sep. 24, 2024

Sixty-six per cent of women nightshift workers experienced emotional eating and another study suggests they are around 1.5 times more likely to be overweight or obese compared to women working day shifts.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 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