Dieting Causes Irritability

CHICAGODieting may make a person irritable or angry, according to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research. The finding suggest resisting cravings and being disciplined about eating can provoke aggressive behavior.

Researchers at Northwestern University and the University of California, San Diego conducted a number of experiments to compare the attitudes of volunteers who were on a diet with those who were allowed to eat what they wanted.

The researchers found that people who exerted self-control were more likely to prefer anger-themed movies, were more interested in looking at angry facial expressions, were more persuaded by anger-framed appeals, and expressed more irritation at a message that used controlling language to convince them to change their exercise habits.

In one experiment, they found people who chose an apple for a snack instead of a chocolate bar were more likely to watch movies with anger and revenge themes than milder films. In a second experiment, participants who displayed financial restraint by choosing a gift certificate for groceries over one for a spa service showed more interest in looking at angry faces rather than fearful ones. A third experiment found dieters had more favorable opinions toward public policy messages that used anger-framed appeals than they did toward a sad message. In the final study, dieters who chose a healthy snack over a tastier, less healthy snack were more irritated by advertising messages that included controlled language like you ought to," need to" and must."

"Research has shown that exerting self-control makes people more likely to behave aggressively toward others and people on diets are known to be irritable and quick to anger," the authors said.