Abstract

Restraint refers to a chronic, deliberate concern about limiting food consumption. The present research examined restrained and unrestrained eaters' frequency of food-related thoughts and ability to suppress food-related thoughts. In Study 1, questionnaires were administered to a large sample to measure dietary restraint and the extent to which individuals thought about food. Restrained relative to unrestrained eaters reported thinking more about food. In Studies 2 and 3, restrained and unrestrained eaters were led to eat cookies under the guise of a study of taste preference. Subsequently, they were asked to suppress thoughts about the tasting while thinking aloud. Restrained relative to unrestrained eaters experienced more intrusions of cookie-related thoughts. Implications for dietary restraint are discussed.