Premium
Effects of suppressing thoughts about body weight: A comparison of dieters and nondieters
Author(s) -
Harnden Jennifer L.,
McNally Richard J.,
Jimerson David C.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199711)22:3<285::aid-eat7>3.0.co;2-j
Subject(s) - psychology , thought suppression , weight control , body weight , developmental psychology , cognition , obesity , neuroscience , endocrinology , medicine
Objective Experimental suppression of a neutral target thought often results in a subsequent “rebound” in the frequency of the thought. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that suppression of weight‐related thoughts contributes to body weight preoccupations characteristic of dieters. Method: Subjects included 19 female dieters and 21 female nondieters. Following a randomized design, subjects were asked either to suppress (experimental condition) or express (control condition) the thought of weighing themselves. Results: Nondieters demonstrated a significant rebound in frequency of the target thought following suppression ( p < .05). Dieters expressed weight‐related thoughts more frequently than nondieters, but did not show a rebound following target thought suppression. Discussion: Thought suppression may foster development of weight‐related preoccupations whereas the role suppression plays in the maintenance of dieters' weight‐related preoccupations remains unclear. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 22:285–290, 1997.