Researchers studied 76 people trying to eat healthier and discovered something interesting about emotional eating—when we feel bad, we’re more likely to want unhealthy foods, but only on days when we’re already craving food a lot. The study used phone apps to track people’s moods and food desires throughout the day. They found that negative emotions and the urge to eat junk food went hand-in-hand, especially for people who tend to eat when they’re upset. This research helps explain why emotions play such a big role in what we choose to eat, which could help create better tools to help people stick to their health goals.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: How our emotions affect whether we want to eat unhealthy foods, and whether this connection is stronger on days when we’re already craving food a lot
  • Who participated: 76 adults who were actively trying to eat better and manage their diet, tracked over nine different days using their phones
  • Key finding: On days when people reported strong food cravings, those with bad moods were more likely to want unhealthy foods, while those in good moods were less likely to want them. This pattern was strongest in people who typically eat more when sad or eat less when happy
  • What it means for you: If you tend to eat when you’re emotional, understanding that your cravings are strongest on certain days might help you plan better. Being aware of your mood-food connection could help you make healthier choices, though this research doesn’t yet prove that knowing this will change eating behavior

The Research Details

This study followed 76 people who were trying to eat healthier over nine different days. Participants used a mobile phone app at midday to report their current mood (whether they felt good or bad) and completed a quick game-like task that measured whether they wanted to reach for healthy or unhealthy foods. In the evening, they rated how much they were craving food. At the start of the study, everyone completed a questionnaire about their emotional eating habits—whether they tend to eat more when upset or less when happy.

The researchers looked for patterns: Did negative moods connect to wanting unhealthy foods more? Did positive moods connect to wanting them less? They also checked whether these patterns were different for people who eat emotionally versus those who don’t, and whether the type of food mattered.

This approach is called ’ecological momentary assessment,’ which means measuring real-world experiences as they happen in daily life, rather than asking people to remember things later.

This research design is valuable because it captures real emotions and food desires as they actually happen in people’s daily lives, rather than relying on memory or artificial lab situations. By measuring the same people multiple times over several days, researchers can see patterns that might be hidden in single measurements. This helps explain the actual mechanisms—the ‘how’ and ‘why’—behind emotional eating, which is important for developing better strategies to help people eat healthier.

Strengths: The study used real-time tracking through phone apps, which is more accurate than asking people to remember their moods and cravings later. The researchers measured multiple factors (mood, food desire, craving intensity, and emotional eating tendencies) to understand the full picture. Limitations: The sample size of 76 is relatively small, so results may not apply to everyone. The study only measured the desire to eat unhealthy foods, not actual eating behavior, so we don’t know if these patterns actually lead to eating more. All participants were people actively trying to diet, so results might be different for people not focused on their diet.

What the Results Show

The main discovery was that negative mood and the desire to eat unhealthy foods went together, but only on days when people were already experiencing strong food cravings. On these high-craving days, people in bad moods showed stronger desire for unhealthy foods, while people in good moods showed less desire for them.

Interestingly, this pattern wasn’t about the specific foods themselves—it didn’t matter whether the foods were labeled as ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’ in the study. Instead, the connection between mood and food desire appeared on days when overall food cravings were high.

The researchers also found that this mood-food connection was strongest in people who reported that they typically eat more when they’re sad or eat less when they’re happy. People without this emotional eating tendency showed weaker connections between their mood and food desires.

One surprising finding was that there was no direct, simple relationship between mood and food desire on regular days. The connection only appeared on days when cravings were already high, suggesting that food cravings might be a key trigger that makes emotions affect food choices.

The study found that positive emotions (feeling good) and wanting unhealthy foods were linked in the opposite way from negative emotions—when people felt good, they were less likely to want unhealthy foods, but again, mainly on high-craving days. The researchers also noted that the specific goal-congruency of foods (whether a food matched someone’s diet goals) didn’t seem to change these patterns, suggesting that the mood-craving connection works similarly regardless of whether someone is trying to avoid a particular food.

Previous research has shown that emotional eating is real and that emotions affect food choices, but scientists have debated exactly how this works. Some studies suggested that negative emotions directly make people want unhealthy foods, while others found more complicated patterns. This research adds an important piece: the connection between emotions and food desire may depend on how strong your food cravings are on that particular day. This suggests that emotional eating isn’t a simple one-to-one relationship but involves timing and individual differences in how people respond to emotions.

The study measured only the desire or urge to eat unhealthy foods, not actual eating behavior, so we can’t be certain these patterns lead to people actually eating more. The sample included only 76 people who were already trying to diet, so results might not apply to people not focused on their eating habits or to different age groups or cultures. The study lasted only nine days, so we don’t know if these patterns stay the same over weeks or months. The research used self-reported mood and cravings, which can be influenced by what people think they should say. Finally, the study couldn’t prove that food cravings cause the mood-food connection; they just found them happening together.

The Bottom Line

If you tend to eat when you’re emotional, this research suggests paying attention to your food cravings as a warning sign. On days when you notice strong food cravings, be extra mindful of your mood and try to have healthy snacks available. However, this research is preliminary—it shows a pattern but doesn’t yet prove that using this knowledge will help you eat better. Consider working with a healthcare provider or counselor if emotional eating is a significant problem for you. Confidence level: Moderate—this is interesting research but needs follow-up studies to confirm these patterns and test whether awareness helps.

This research is most relevant for people who recognize that they eat more when they’re sad or upset, or eat less when they’re happy. It may be helpful for people trying to lose weight or manage their diet. It’s less directly applicable to people who don’t experience emotional eating or to people with eating disorders, who should work with specialists. The findings might eventually help create better apps or programs to support healthier eating, but that’s still in development.

This research doesn’t yet tell us how quickly awareness of these patterns would help. If you start tracking your mood and cravings, you might notice patterns within a week or two. However, changing eating behavior based on this awareness would likely take longer—typically several weeks to months of consistent effort to build new habits.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track three things daily: (1) Your mood on a simple scale (1-10, from very sad to very happy), (2) Your food craving intensity (1-10, from no cravings to intense cravings), and (3) What you actually ate when cravings were high. Look for patterns between high-craving days and your mood.
  • On days when you notice both strong food cravings AND a negative mood, set a reminder to pause and choose a healthy snack or activity instead. Use the app to log what you chose and how you felt afterward. Over time, this builds awareness of your personal mood-craving patterns.
  • Review your tracked data weekly to identify your personal patterns: Do your cravings spike on certain days? Does your mood affect cravings? Once you spot your pattern, you can plan ahead—for example, if you notice cravings spike on stressful days, prepare healthy snacks in advance or plan a non-food stress-relief activity.

This research describes patterns in how emotions and food cravings are connected but does not prove that emotions directly cause unhealthy eating. The study measured only the desire to eat, not actual eating behavior. These findings are preliminary and should not replace professional medical or psychological advice. If you struggle with emotional eating, binge eating, or have concerns about your eating habits, please consult with a healthcare provider, registered dietitian, or mental health professional. This information is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice.