Emotional Determinants of Sweets Consumption

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the interaction between emotional states and sweets’ ingestion, that is, the effect of affective states on sweet snacks’ consumption, and the influence of the intake of such products on mood changes. Study participant were 110 students of Warsaw University of Life Science. Data used for the study was obtained through the self-report questionnaire including UMACL mood scale. The study showed that both positive and negative emotions influenced subjects’ willingness to consume sweets to the greater level than the sweets’ intake itself, though the more salient factor in mood alteration seem to be negative mood. Moreover negative feelings caused subjects’ preferences towards sweets rather than healthier snacks. Sweets’ ingestion may affect mood and emotions experienced during and after the consumption, depending on feelings of the subjects prior to sweets’ intake. These mutual relations may justify the existence of the general opinion that sweets may be consumed to obtain or sustain good feelings, although their influence on emotional state is only temporary.