Why Kids Start Emotionally Eating

You might think that you were born with a propensity for reaching for comfort food in times of stress, but new research suggests that emotional eating is actually a learned behavior.

Researchers from UCL have found that the main cause of emotional eating is home environment – with parents giving their children food to make them feel better. The new study builds on a previous study by the university which was published last year, highlighting the same thing.

The study’s co-lead Dr. Moritz Herle, from the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, says: ‘Experiencing stress and negative emotions can have a different effect on the appetite for different people.