Public Self-Awareness and Success-Failure Feedback as Disinhibitors of Restrained Eating

This study investigated the role of public self-awareness and distress in disinhibiting eating. Ninety-six women who were classified as restrained or unrestrained eaters completed a computerized social perception test during which public self-awareness (low vs. high) and type of feedback (success vs. failure) were manipulated. Following the test, restrained subjects ate more than did unrestrained subjects. When public self-awareness was low, subjects who received failure feedback consumed more than those who were exposed to success feedback. An opposite pattern occurred in the high-self-awareness condition. A post hoc examination revealed that restrained subjects exhibited more regulated eating behavior when exposed to a combination of disinhibitors, whereas each disinhibitor taken separately was associated with increased consumption. Results were interpreted in terms of the self-awareness reduction model of eating.