Department of Psychology
Western University
Negative Affect and Reward Processing in Individuals with Binge Eating
Binge eating is defined by consuming a large amount of food over a short time period and feeling out of control while eating. This behavior is a key feature of eating disorders, affects approximately 10% of the population, and is associated with significant distress and impairment.
It is critical to understand what causes individuals to binge eat, so we can improve treatments and reduce the negative health consequences of this persistent behavior. Although evidence suggests that negative affect leads to binge eating, little is known about why this association exists, limiting our ability to target the key processes involved for prevention and intervention.
Dr. Bodell’s research aims to better understand the ways in which negative affect may lead to binge episodes. Her research will examine how negative affect impacts motivation to eat and how individual differences in brain responses to different mood states affect this relationship.
