The effects of emotion regulation on the desire to overeat in restrained eaters

The aim of the present study was to test whether emotion regulation (ER) strategies are underlying processes in the link between negative emotions and the desire to overeat (DTE) in high restrained eaters (HR). Forty-eight female HR and 46 female low restrained eaters (LR) watched three sadness inducing film clips. Thereby, participants were randomly assigned to and trained in one of three conditions while watching the first two clips: to suppress upcoming emotions, to accept upcoming emotions or to reappraise the situation. After that, they participated in an experiment in which the learned ER strategy was implemented while watching the third sadness inducing film clip. DIE and sadness were assessed prior to and at the end of each clip. Additionally, physiological measures of the sympathetic and parasympathetic branch were obtained. In the HR group emotion acceptance and suppression lead to a significant increase of the DTE from baseline to post-film, while there was no change in DTE in the reappraisal condition. However, psychophysiological measures were not moderated by ER strategies. The results are discussed in terms of the limited resource model. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.