Feeling Lonely? You Might Be Craving More Than Connection

We all know food can be a comfort. But did you know feelings of loneliness might be making those cravings even stronger?

A new study suggests loneliness could be linked to intense food cravings, especially for sugary or high-calorie options.

Here's the science breakdown:

Researchers scanned the brains of women who reported feeling lonely or not lonely. They showed them pictures of different foods and non-food items. Lonelier women had stronger brain activity in areas linked to cravings and social behavior when shown food images. This suggests loneliness might make people hyper-focused on food cues.

What does this mean for you?

• Loneliness is a major health concern. It can impact your well-being as much as physical health!

• Strong social connections are key. Consider loneliness a red flag – prioritize building strong relationships to support your overall health.

• Our emotions affect our actions. Address the root cause - feeling lonely might be behind unhealthy eating habits.

  
  

Looking for ways to combat loneliness?

• Reflect on your social media time.  Is it helpful or making you feel more lonely? Social media can be a great place to connect and engage with others.  You can form connections online, join groups of similar interests, or support a movement you can get behind.  On the other hand, most people only share the parts of their lives that are positive, fun and exciting. That is not real life.  Everyone has challenges and bad days, they just don’t want to share them.  Still, seeing a social media feed of other people’s highlight reel can lead us to feeling less than or that we are missing out in life. If being online is making you feel less connected and isolated, you may want to consider spending less time scrolling.

• Find real life connections by joining a group or club.  Depending where you live, you can find clubs and activities with common interests or hobbies. Visit websites like Meetup.com or check out Eventbrite for events that peak your interest.

• Go volunteer.  There are so many organizations who are looking for volunteers.  It's a great way to not only give back, but you also meet new people, feel connected to a community, and feel fulfilled when giving back. 

• Practice self care. Exercise, eating healthy, meditation, and sunshine are all effective ways to fight loneliness. 

  
  

Looking for ways to combat cravings? Try the F.A.S.T Method

• F- Feel

  • Usually when we feel a negative or uncomfortable feeling, we try to get rid of it as fast as possible.  And one of the fastest ways to receive a good feeling is through food. 

  • Instead of ignoring the uncomfortable feeling, think of this moment as a “check engine light”. 

  • Take a moment to ask  yourself where you feel this craving? How else do you feel right now? These questions can help you get to the root cause of the craving and you may find what it is that you really need in the moment instead of food.

• A- Accept

  • When you experience a negative emotion, followed by an instant craving, we might experience a lot of internal tension. 

  • We may feel out of control which can make us feel even worse about ourselves. 

  • Instead of beating yourself up about it, accept that negative emotions are a normal part of the human experience.

  • You don’t choose your emotions, you can choose your response to them. Once you accept this, it will diffuse the internal tension and lift the pressure you were feeling for having these emotions. 

• S-Speak

  • The challenge with thoughts, feelings, and emotions is that they are all in your head which makes it harder to deal with them. 

  • Instead of trying to think your way out of the negative feeling, put words to it and speak your way out of it. Notice how you are feeling and give it a name.

  • By putting words to it, you no longer  need to hide or stuff down what you’re feeling by masking it with a yummy treat. Instead, you get present to what’s really going on underneath, which helps you get to the root cause instead of why a craving seemingly came out of nowhere.

• T- Time

  • One of the best ways to overcome a food craving is to put some time between when you feel it and when you act on it.

  • Give yourself 10 minutes to go do something else to see if the craving goes away or spend some time feeling and trying to go deeper.  

  • You might be surprised, that you actually don’t want the food you were craving anymore and if you did something, give yourself the time and space to figure out what it is that you really needed at the moment. 

    
    

The Takeaway?

Think of a craving like a check-engine light in your car. It’s just a warning to check  the engine, but it doesn’t tell you what the problem is.  

Cravings can also be an opportunity to figure out what is really  bothering you, and maybe even take meaningful action to address the real issue. 

If loneliness is the reason you are experiencing food cravings, know that millions of people suffer from loneliness and the key to fighting it is finding the best strategy that works for you.  

Coach Rose Peterson is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach and Founder of RP Fitness & Nutrition. Since 2017, she has helped clients locally in Las Vegas, NV and remotely all over the world, reach their health and fitness goals while also creating structure, consistency, and healthy habits for lifelong success. 

To learn more about working with Coach Rose, visit www.coachrosepeterson.com

For your complimentary consultation you can email Coach Rose at hello@coachrosepeterson.com

References:

• Zhang X, Ravichandran S, Gee GC, Dong TS, Beltrán-Sánchez H, Wang MC, et al. Social Isolation, Brain Food Cue Processing, Eating Behaviors, and Mental Health Symptoms. JAMA network open. 2024 Apr 4;7(4):e244855–5.‌

• Larrabee Sonderlund A, Thilsing T, Sondergaard J. Should social disconnectedness be included in primary-care screening for cardiometabolic disease? A systematic review of the relationship between everyday stress, social connectedness, and allostatic load. PLoS One. 2019 Dec 19;14(12):e0226717.

• Malone JC, Cohen S, Liu SR, Vaillant GE, Waldinger RJ. Adaptive midlife defense mechanisms and late-life health. Pers Individ Dif. 2013 Jul 1;55(2):85–9.