How visual images of chocolate affect the craving and guilt of female dieters

This study asks whether exposure to images of chocolate induces cravings and guilty feelings in females. A further aim was to examine whether these effects are heightened in the case of dieters. The participants, 85 females, saw a series of enticing media images, either of chocolate or of non-food products. Two thirds of the sample were dieting or had dieted in the past; 15% had been on seven or more diets. After viewine the images all participants completed the Attitudes to Chocolate Questionnaire (ACQ) (Benton, Greenfield, & Morgan (1998). The development of the attitudes to chocolate questionnaire. Personality and Individual Differences, 24(4), 513-520]. The different conditions affected only those who dieted. Dieters had significantly higher ACQ scores after viewing the chocolate images than the nondieters. It is suggested that dietary restriction increases desire for forbidden foods, in the form of craving, and may induce negative affect such as imilt. anxiety and depression. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.