Individual Paper(s)
Daily hassles and snack intake: The role of cortisol reactivity status
E Newman <[email]>
Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds
D.B. O’Connor <[email]>
Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds
M Conner <[email]>
Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds
Background: Previous research has shown high cortisol reactors to consume a greater amount of snack foods than low reactors following a laboratory stressor. The present study was designed to test whether high cortisol reactors would also consume more snacks than low reactors in response to field stressors.
Method: Fifty pre-menopausal women completed a laboratory stressor, provided saliva samples to assess cortisol reactor status and then recorded daily hassles and snack intake diaries over the next fourteen days.
Results and Conclusion: Hierarchical multivariate linear modelling showed a significant association between daily hassles and snack intake in the high reactors alone, suggesting that high cortisol reactors are more likely to increase snack intake with daily hassles, and that high reactivity to stress may promote food intake.
