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Thoughts of Death Cause Overeating

To Lose Weight, Stop Watching Crime Scene Investigation Shows

Jun 28, 2008

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If you love watching the news or crime scene investigation shows on TV, you may be eating more & losing less weight. Here's the connection between death & overeating.

By conducting several experiments in Europe and the United States, researchers have discovered that people who think about their own deaths want to buy more and eat more food than those who don’t think about death.

"People want to consume more of all kinds of foods, both healthy and unhealthy, when thinking about the idea that they will die some day," write authors Naomi Mandel of Arizona State University and Dirk Smeesters of Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

These researchers postulate that death causes overeating because of a desire to escape from self-awareness.

Connecting Death, Overeating, and Crime Scene Investigation Shows

People struggling with low self-esteem in particular tend to overeat if they have death-related thoughts, triggered by crime scene investigation shows or the news.

Mandel and Smeesters explain this phenomenon with a theory called "escape from self-awareness."

"When people are reminded of their inevitable mortality, they may start to feel uncomfortable about what they have done with their lives and whether they have made a significant mark on the universe. This is a state called 'heightened self-awareness.' One way to deal with such an uncomfortable state is to escape from it, by either overeating or overspending," write these authors.

"Consumers, especially those with a lower self-esteem, might be more susceptible to over-consumption when faced with images of death during the news or their favorite crime-scene investigation shows," conclude Mandel and Smeesters.

How to Stop Overeating While Watching Crime Scene Investigation Shows

Do you want to lose weight, but can’t bear the thought of giving up CSI or Cold Case? Here are two options.

Use a mirror. Try putting a mirror next to the television. Mandel and Smeesters found that people who see themselves in a mirror don’t overeat as much.
Pursue your dreams. If thoughts of death cause overeating because you’re reminded that you haven’t accomplished enough in your life or made a significant mark on the universe, then you may want to start setting and achieving your life goals. Then, watching crime scene investigation shows or the news could become a source of satisfaction. You’ll feel happy and content that you’ve accomplished enough in your life – or at least you’re on your way to creating the life you love.

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Source: University of Chicago Press Journals (2008, June 27). Morbid Thoughts Whet The Appetite. ScienceDaily.

The copyright of the article Thoughts of Death Cause Overeating in Cognitive Psychology is owned by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen. Permission to republish Thoughts of Death Cause Overeating in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.