Eating behaviors and the possibility of positive change By Dr Helen McCarthy
The British Psychological Society (BPS) recently published a report titled “ Psychological perspectives on obesity ” in which they call for professionals and policy makers to take an approach that is guided by psychology. The report argues that reversing the trend of increasing obesity rates requires an integrated evidence-based approach that recognises that behaviours are influenced by a combination of biological, psychological and social factors. Biological Factors The BPS report is clear that our genes play a significant role in how the appetite regulation system in our brain functions. So people’s differing interest in food, their ability to know when they are full and emotional eating all have some genetic basis. And then there are the biological effects of chronic stress, which creates changes in brain activity as well as altering the balance of appetite-regulating hormones. Psychological Factors Many psychological factors play a part in how and what each o