Bulgogi and Burgers: Emotional Eating & Food Addiction Among University Students in South Korea and the United States

Abstract

In the field of health psychology, food addiction has become recognized as a serious concern, given compounding evidence that ultra-processed foods can negatively impact health. However, during stressful times, individuals often gravitate towards these foods to experience momentary relief from their struggles. If college students frequently rely on food for emotional relief, will they face an increased likelihood of becoming addicted to ultra-processed foods, therefore putting themselves at higher risk for future mental and physical health obstacles? 150 students in Study 1 at Princeton University showed that emotional eating indicated the likelihood of co-occurring food addiction, with higher scores on the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0) positively correlated with scores on the Emotional Eating Scale-II (EES-II). These findings also indicated significant differences based on gender and athletic participation, with women and athletes scoring higher on both scales. However, in contrast to existing literature, no significant racial differences were found. Could these findings be due to the ultra-processed nature of the food environment in the United States, and if so, could results be replicated in South Korea, a country historically known for a diet consisting of healthful ingredients? In Study 2, 196 students from universities around Seoul, South Korea completed the same survey consisting of the YFAS 2.0 and EES-II scales. Results showed that, similar to Princeton students, participant scores on the two scales were positively correlated. However, South Korean university students had significantly higher scores for emotional eating (36.65 > 20.17) and food addiction (31.06 > 21.00) than those at Princeton. Due to strict beauty standards and an increasingly ultra-processed diet in Korea, the results from this thesis indicate that it is essential to understand the psychology behind social and cultural influences to encourage healthier dietary habits around the world