The effect of positive and negative mood induction on emotional eating in obese women with high and low neuroticism.

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of psychology, Shiraz branch, Islamic Azad university, Shiraz, Iran.

10.22038/mjms.2025.86367.4940

Abstract

Introduction:
This study aimed to determine the effect of the interaction between mood induction (positive, negative, and neutral) and neuroticism level (high and low) on emotional eating in obese individuals.
Materials and Methods: The present study was a pre-test, post-test study with a control group. Of the 2,000 obese women referred to nutrition centers in Tehran's District 2 in 2023-2024, A total of 384 people completed the neuroticism questionnaire, and after meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 60 people were purposefully included in the study. The subjects were divided into two groups of people with high and low neuroticism (30 people in each group). Then, each group was randomly divided into three subgroups of negative, positive, and neutral mood induction (10 people in each subgroup). The research instruments were the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, Van Strien et al. (1986), and the Neo Five Factor Personality Questionnaire, Costa and McCrae (1992). Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23 software and two-way analysis of covariance statistical method.
Results: The results showed that positive mood induction had a favorable effect on emotional eating in neurotic individuals (low and high neurotic individuals, respectively) (emotional eating in individuals with high neuroticism was lower in the positive mood induction group than in the negative mood induction group).
Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be stated that the interaction of mood states and personality factors has a significant effect on eating behaviors in people with obesity.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Medical Journal of Mashhad university of Medical Sciences
Volume 68, Issue 6
January and February 2026
Pages 1753-1770

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