A Cognitive Experimental Approach to Understanding and Reducing Food Cravings

Abstract

Food cravings are a common everyday experience. Yet, they can pose significant health risks for some people. Following initial investigations into the phenomenology, antecedents and consequences of food cravings, recent scientific interest has turned to the underpinnings of the actual craving experience itself. In this article, we outline a conceptual framework for studying food cravings that is grounded in cognitive experimental psychology, along with our corresponding program of research. In particular, we present converging evidence from a number of seemingly disparate lines of research into the cognitive processes that underlie food cravings with a view to developing a craving-reduction technique.