Bored Kids Eat More

We’ve all done it before. Nothing to do, we head for the fridge or pantry and munch. Is it any surprise that kids do this, too? A recent study out of Ashton University finds that even young children (as young as four) may eat nearly 80% more calories when bored, compared to feeling neutral.

Currently, no research evaluating how much children eat when they’re bored has been done. Boredom is a common emotion that many kids experience. The study found that kids who felt bored consumed 95 calories even when they were already full compared to children in neutral moods who ate only 59 calories. Dr Rebecca Stone led the research as part of her PhD. It was supervised by Professor Claire Farrow and Professor Jackie Blissett from Aston University, and Professor Emma Haycraft from Loughborough University.

How Kids Learn to Eat More

Eating behavior in children develops from family history, temperament, and other factors such as feeding rituals they experience. In past studies, the researchers evaluated behaviors that make children more likely to eat when they feel negative emotions.

When kids feel bored or sad, adults may use food to assuage the pain. However, this behavior, known as emotional feeding, may increase the chances of children eating more when they’re upset, possibly teaching children to seek food when they’re feeling down or bored.

Survey of Feeding Practices

Part of the research involved querying parents about the feeding habits that they used with their children and about their child’s emotional state. Kids and parents were fed a standard meal that they consumed until they felt full. Children then participated in a series of typical conditions where their mood was checked. One of the situations was boring for the children.

Researchers discovered that if parents reported using food to quell their child’s feelings frequently and their child was very emotional, they ate five times more calories when feeling bored (104 calories) versus when in a neutral mood (21 calories).

Dr Stone said: "If children are eating this many more calories during one instance of boredom induced in a laboratory (a four-minute period), given that boredom is a commonly experienced emotion in children, the potential for excess calorie intake in response to being bored across one day, one week, or one year, is potentially very significant in a food abundant environment."

Previous Studies

Past research on what impacts eating behavior in kids has usually been based on questionnaires with negative moods (sadness, anger, anxiety) being combined. Boredom is easy to recognize and can be easily fixed. Helping parents cope with their child’s boredom without “feeding into it”, so to speak, would be a helpful way to reduce unwanted snacking.

Dr. Stone emphasizes that experiencing boredom is important in developing a sense of self and creativity in children. He advises that avoiding boredom is not advised. She suggests that children should experience being bored without seeking out food, and parents could try to shift attention from food when their child feels bored. The home environment could also be modified to make it harder for children to seek out food when they’re bored and not truly hungry.

What the Experts Say

Professor Farrow said: "It is commonly assumed that children tend to turn to food when bored and that some children are more likely to do this than others. This is the first study to experimentally test this in the laboratory. Whilst there do appear to be individual differences between children in terms of their eating when bored, it is helpful to know that the feeding practices that adults use around food might shape the likelihood of this happening. Although it is tempting to use food as a tool to comfort children, research suggests that emotional feeding might lead to greater emotional eating in the future. It is important that parents and caregivers are aware that this short-term fix could create future challenges."

Her research team is interested in evaluating other negative emotional states in children and creating advice and support for families to find better ways to deal with eating behavior challenges in children.

Below are tips for parents to manage unwanted snacking in kids.

1.    Be a role model. When you’re bored or feeling down, do something creative. Use adult coloring books, journals, or another method to cope.

2.    Teach kids to meditate or practice deep breathing. This may help them to calm down and get them to a neutral state of mind.

3.    Keep a bin of toys or games to guide children away from seeking food when they’re feeling bored, sad, or other negative emotions.

4.    Allow children to eat what’s on their plates without forcing them to finish the food if they’re not hungry.

5.    Don’t reward children with food. Did they get a good grade? Give them a sticker or other non-food reward.

6.    Keep a jar with craft ideas for kids to do when they’re bored. Crayons, colored pencils, or stickers are inexpensive to have on hand.

7.    Use exercise or movement as a way to cope with boredom or other unwanted feelings. Dance, do jumping jacks, or other activities to reduce negative emotions.

8.    Remind your kids that boredom is a normal feeling. We all experience it and the feeling will go away.

9.    Set aside time each day to explore nature and encourage curiosity.

10.  Encourage reading when kids are bored. This will spark the love of reading for years to come.

Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD