When Our Eating Experience Falls Short, Do We Eat More to Compensate?



Summary

A new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Attitudes and Social Cognition shows that when people expect to enjoy a pleasurable experience—such as eating a meal—but feel less enjoyment than anticipated because they were distracted, they tend to compensate by consuming more. This compensation often appears as increased snacking or engaging more frequently in other hedonic activities.

Hedonic Consumption and Overconsumption

Hedonic consumption refers to engaging in activities for sensory pleasure, fun, or enjoyment. While this is a normal and essential part of psychological well-being, it can sometimes lead to hedonic overconsumption, meaning excessive engagement in pleasurable activities (e.g., overeating, gaming, or staying up late), which can negatively affect health and daily functioning.

Traditional explanations point to low self-control as the main driver of overconsumption. However, Murphy and colleagues propose a new mechanism:
When people experience less joy than expected (“hedonic shortfalls”), they attempt to make up for that missing pleasure by consuming more.

Study Overview

Meta-analysis

A review of existing research confirmed that when people are distracted during enjoyable activities, they typically report lower enjoyment.

Study 1: Lunch and Distraction

  • Participants: 122 adults (ages 18–24).

  • Groups:

    • No distraction

    • Mild distraction (video)

    • High distraction (Tetris)

  • Findings:

    • Distraction did not consistently reduce enjoyment in a statistically clear way.

    • But participants who enjoyed lunch less—regardless of distraction level—reported a greater desire for additional gratification.

    • This increased desire predicted more frequent and higher snack intake before dinner.

Study 2: 7-Day Experience Sampling

  • Participants: 220 adults surveyed 7 times daily for a week.

  • Activities tracked: eating, drinking, smoking, gambling, drug use, gaming, reading, exercise, and other leisure activities.

  • Findings:

    • Higher distraction during any hedonic activity consistently predicted lower enjoyment.

    • When enjoyment fell below expectations, participants felt less satisfied.

    • Lower satisfaction increased the likelihood of overconsumption of that same activity.

Conclusion

Across two studies and a meta-analysis, the research supports a new model of hedonic overconsumption:
When pleasurable experiences feel underwhelming—especially due to distraction—people often compensate by consuming more.

This pattern applies to eating as well as a wide range of hedonic activities. The findings suggest that interventions for overeating, gambling, and other excessive behaviors may benefit from addressing not just self-control but also the quality of enjoyment in everyday experiences.


Read Full Article here : https://www.nutritional-psychology.org/when-our-eating-experience-falls-short-of-expectations-will-we-eat-more-to-compensate/

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