Women who feel lonely show increased activity in regions of the brain associated with cravings and the motivation to eat. This seems to confirm the connection between unhealthy eating habits and loneliness.
In a recent study, a research team from the University of California investigated whether perceived social isolation is related to brain reactivity to food stimuli, obesity and psychological symptoms. The study results are published in the specialist magazine “JAMA Network Open”.
Loneliness and binge eating
It was already known from previous studies that obesity is linked to depression and anxiety and that binge eating is a potential coping mechanism against loneliness, the researchers report.
The team now examined the connections in 93 women, also taking into account the underlying mechanisms in the brain. First, the participants were asked about their social support and their feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Based on the results, the researchers formed two groups: one with participants who scored high on the scale of perceived social isolation and one with those who scored low.
The researchers found that women with higher levels of social isolation tended to have higher fat mass, lower diet quality, greater food cravings, and increased reward-based and uncontrolled eating. They also showed increased levels of anxiety and depression.
Craving unhealthy foods
Examining the women’s brain activity while viewing images of food also found that the group of women who perceived themselves as lonely experienced increased activation in brain regions associated with greater cravings for sugary foods.
They also showed reduced activation in the brain region associated with self-control regarding eating behavior, the researchers report.
Threatening vicious circle
“These results are interesting because they provide evidence for what we know intuitively,” said study author Dr. Arpana Gupta. When we feel lonely, the desire for food and apparently especially unhealthy foods increases.
If we give in to cravings, this can in turn affect the psyche and create a vicious circle between unhealthy diet and psychological symptoms. However, a holistic treatment approach may be the solution to breaking out of the cycle, explains the team.
These results underline the need for holistic, body-focused measures that can mitigate the negative health consequences of social isolation, the researchers conclude. (fp)
