Positive and Negative Effects of Psychology on Nutrition, Diet and Eating Habits

Our eating habits are linked to our psychological state. It is seen that people who eat a lot of food are under stress (Guven, 2014). Psychological discomfort or conditions can change people's eating habits. It is seen that people's eating habits are related to the job they work, the country they live in, and the culture they grew up in. In addition, there are many factors that affect our eating habits psychologically. It is observed that people under stress eat more frequently or rarely (Gibson, 2006). Emotional and psychological states change eating habits. An event that happens to us while starting a healthy diet can cause the diet to be disrupted. This situation, called emotional eating, is due to psychological effects. There are situations that cause the person to go out of their usual nutritional state. Stress and sadness can lead a person to consume food. Working conditions in developed countries make people tired psychologically. Due to working hours and the frequency of work, many people work under the pressure of stress. For this reason, it is seen that more obesity disorders occur in developing or fully developed countries today (Guven, 2014). Depression and fatigue are thought to have a direct impact on people's diet. Some people have an excessive appetite, while others have the opposite effect. Psychological traumas cause sudden changes in people's eating habits. Also, when happy, many people tend to eat. To understand what the psychological effect is here, it is necessary to examine the country, job, age, gender, and all other situations of the individuals. While psychological problems can affect the diet negatively, some psychological conditions can affect the eating habits positively.