Emotionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1803/2072024-03-28T12:13:31Z2024-03-28T12:13:31ZThe Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic-related restriction on Emotional eating in College studentsHong, YurimSchlundt, Davidhttp://hdl.handle.net/1803/170772022-03-29T01:45:38Z2022-03-28T00:00:00ZThe Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic-related restriction on Emotional eating in College students
Hong, Yurim; Schlundt, David
Background: During this past two years, COVID-19 has had an immense impact on the way we live our daily lives. Previous studies have established that eating behaviors are often modulated by disinhibition of eating restraints and body image dissatisfaction, often rooting from social media. This study was designed to track changes in emotional eating in college students during the pandemic.
Methods: 328 participants, 111 male and 217 female, across the Spring 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022 semester completed the online Eating Habits Questionnaire for the study through the Vanderbilt Psychology department’s SONA system to measure Emotional eating, Weight dissatisfaction, COVID-19 Poor eating, COVID-19 Negative Emotions, Dietary restraint, Change in weight, and Body image.
Results: More than half of the participants indicated that Emotional eating was a moderate or large problem for them. There was a significant temporal trend found for COVID-19 Poor eating and COVID-19 Negative emotions, with lower numbers during the Fall 2021 semester. COVID-19 Poor eating and Body image were significant predictors of Emotional eating.
Conclusion: With the COVID-19 and emotional eating relationship established, there will need to be further studies regarding this matter for colleges to implement measures to help students improve their relationship with food.
2022-03-28T00:00:00ZMotivational and Behavioral Expressions of Schadenfreude among UndergraduatesKleinman, Elanahttp://hdl.handle.net/1803/155852020-09-01T21:18:20Z2017-04-26T00:00:00ZMotivational and Behavioral Expressions of Schadenfreude among Undergraduates
Kleinman, Elana
Schadenfreude, the pleasure that results from another person's misfortune, is an interesting topic within emotion research. However, there has been limited research regarding whether cultural tendencies influence the motivational urges, action tendencies, and enacted behaviors of schadenfreude, the pleasure felt from another’s misfortune. In order to find out whether culture and language influence the motivational and behavioral expressions of schadenfreude, participants (N=146) completed an online questionnaire in which they read a schadenfreude eliciting vignette and responded to a series of questions to assess their appraisals, emotions, thoughts, and action tendencies. In addition, participants filled out measure to assess their levels of individualism/collectivism and empathy. The vignettes followed a 2 (competitive, slapstick) x 2 (academic, social) x 3 (friend, stranger, disliked target) design in order to determine whether certain situations and/or targets elicited greater amounts of schadenfreude. Unfortunately, the expected culture and language differences were not significant in predicting schadenfreude, but we were able to find that that schadenfreude is influenced by the target, the situation, and the individual’s level of empathy. In addition, we found that the significant appraisals associated with schadenfreude were: relevance, congruence, outside factors, other accountability, and accommodation-focused coping potential.
2017-04-26T00:00:00ZSocial Support and Gratitude: Assessing Divergence through WritingAnspach, Abigail S.http://hdl.handle.net/1803/88402018-05-04T16:07:39Z2018-01-01T00:00:00ZSocial Support and Gratitude: Assessing Divergence through Writing
Anspach, Abigail S.
Although two types of emotional writing have been previously studied, there is no research that examines writing about social support. Yet the hypothesized mechanisms that drive benefits of gratitude journaling and expressive writing appear to be relevant to the process of receiving social support. Thus, the present study examined writing about social support and writing about gratitude in order to ascertain how each kind of writing was associated with differing short-term outcomes. A secondary goal was to investigate how dispositional variables might correlate with components of the written responses. In order to assess these questions, participants completed a survey in which they were randomized to either write about a time when they received social support or a time when they felt grateful to someone but did not properly thank them. A variety of measures assessing both state and trait-level variables followed this exercise, and the participants’ responses were content-coded using a 12-item scheme. Results indicated positive short-term outcomes for writing about social support including increased feelings of pride and relief, which may have been mediated by emotion sharing. Participants in the gratitude condition experienced increased feelings of gratitude, but this was accompanied by feelings of regret and guilt. Unfortunately, the correlational data between the coded constructs and the dispositional variables was likely compromised due to the placement of the measures in the survey. These findings indicate that the mechanisms which drive the benefits of writing about social support most clearly align with those hypothesized to drive expressive writing. Further research should therefore evaluate the outcomes of writing about social support long-term as well as the mechanisms of emotional writing.
2018-01-01T00:00:00ZAffect as a Model of Pro-Environmental SpilloverVasan, Ana A.http://hdl.handle.net/1803/88322018-05-02T14:56:51Z2018-01-01T00:00:00ZAffect as a Model of Pro-Environmental Spillover
Vasan, Ana A.
In an effort to mitigate the potentially catastrophic effects of human consumption on the environment, many researchers are driven to understand the mechanisms underlying sustained engagement in pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Using the concept of behavioral spillover, a primary PEB may either lead to an increase (positive spillover) or a decrease (negative spillover) in future PEBs. Previous research into PEB spillover suggests that situational factors, such as identity and emotion, may affect whether an individual tends toward positive spillover behavior or negative spillover behavior. The present study synthesizes research on behavioral spillover with that of emotional appraisal to attempt to create a framework for the affective mechanisms underlying the spillover effect, within the domain of PEB. Specifically, this study looks at the participants’ decision to complete a second PEB after completing an initial PEB, and how that decision may be differentially affected by induced elevation, pride, guilt, and anger. Participants were led to engage in a primary PEB (recycling a plastic water bottle), subsequently underwent a targeted emotion induction, and finally were given the opportunity to engage in a second PEB (turning off a dripping water faucet), with the latter recorded on a binary scale. Results were non-significant, and indicate a potential difference between the Elevation and Guilt conditions’ and the Pride and Anger conditions’ influence on sustained engagement in PEB, especially as guilt may predict sustained PEB engagement. Results further suggest the possibility that individual identity and values may not predict direction of spillover behavior. Our research provides a preliminary framework from which future social psychologists and policy makers may create widespread and sustainable initiatives towards PEB.
Cognitive Studies Honors Thesis, under Craig A. Smith, April 2018
2018-01-01T00:00:00Z