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. 2025 Jul 16.
doi: 10.1002/erv.70012. Online ahead of print.

The Impact of Negative Social Feedback on Wanting and Liking of Food Pictures in Anorexia Nervosa

Ludovica Natali  1 , Valentina Cardi  1 , Chiara Tosi  1 , Enrico Collantoni  2   3 , Chiara Caulo  4 , Francesca Fontana  5 , Alessandra Sala  6 , Enrico Ceccato  6 , Palmiero Monteleone  4 , Angela Favaro  2   3 , Valentina Meregalli  1
Affiliations

The Impact of Negative Social Feedback on Wanting and Liking of Food Pictures in Anorexia Nervosa

Ludovica Natali et al. Eur Eat Disord Rev. .

Abstract

Objective: Negative emotional states have been found to predict food cravings and consumption in the general population. People with a persistent tendency to restrict food intake, however, might be eating less when sad, angry, or stressed. In this study, the impact of inducing a negative emotional state through social exclusion on wanting and liking of food pictures was explored in patients with anorexia nervosa.

Method: 43 patients with anorexia nervosa and 22 healthy controls completed a computerised social rejection and food appraisal task. Participants viewed short videos in which a stranger made either a negative comment directed toward them or a neutral comment. After each video, participants rated their affective state, as well as their wanting and liking for pictures of high-calorie foods.

Results: Participants in both groups experienced greater negative affect after viewing the negative videos compared to the neutral ones. They also reported lower wanting for high-calorie foods following negative videos, while no significant effects were observed for liking scores. Interestingly, patients with higher body mass index exhibited a greater reduction in both food wanting and liking following negative videos.

Conclusions: These results suggest that negative social interactions can exacerbate restrictive behaviours, especially in patients who are recovering weight during treatment.

Keywords: computerised; criticism; eating; restriction; social rejection.

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