Dutch researchers have found that many people who tend  to overeat for emotional reasons, eat the most when they are feeling  happy

Many people who overeat do so because they  are happy, according to new research

Until now, so-called ‘comfort eating’ was  been linked with negative feelings such as depression, boredom, loneliness and  anxiety.

But experts believe that emotional eaters are  actually more likely to gorge on unhealthy snacks when they feel happy rather  than sad.

New research shows that people whose eating  habits reflect their moods actually take on more calories when they are cheery  and upbeat than when they are down.

The findings, by a team of Dutch  psychologists, suggest so called ‘happy eating’ has been largely overlooked as a  risk factor in the global obesity epidemic.

Latest government figures show 24 per cent of  men and 26 per cent of women in the UK are now classed as obese – up from 13 per  cent and 16 per cent respectively ten years ago.

Emotional eating is recognised as one of the  reasons why some people struggle to keep their weight under control.

During times of stress, food can provide  short-term comfort. Experts estimate that up to 75 per cent of overeating is  caused by emotions and binging on unhealthy grub is often used as a prop when  people feel unhappy.

But researchers from Maastricht University in  the Netherlands wanted to explore whether emotional eaters who binge when they  feel down have no need for the same habit when they feel positive.

They recruited 87 students and assessed each  one for their eating habits as well as their mental health, using  well-established questionnaires designed to score each one.

They then carried out a series of experiments  where the students were shown clips from different films or TV shows in order to  evoke a positive, neutral or negative mood. For example, to get them in a  positive mood, researchers showed the students two scenes.

One was from the TV comedy Mr Bean, starring  Rowan Atkinson, in which he tries to copy answers from his neighbour during an  exam.

The other was the classic scene from the film  comedy When Harry Met Sally, in which Meg Ryan simulates an orgasm in front of  fellow restaurant diners.

To get them in a neutral mood, the students  were shown part of a documentary on fishing.

And for the negative mood, they watched a  movie clip from The Green Mile, starring Tom Hanks, in which an innocent man is  executed in an electric chair.

Emotional eating tend to be more associated with  negative emotions such as boredom, depression and loneliness but new research  said that this oversimplifies the behaviour

Immediately after viewing the clips,  volunteers were provided with large glass bowls full of different flavoured  crisps and white, milk or dark chocolates.

Researchers measured their total calorie  intake after each scene.

The results, published online in the journal  Appetite, showed that, contrary to expectations, those students classed as  emotional eaters scoffed more after watching a positive clip than a negative  one.

In a report on their findings the researchers  said: ‘Most emotional eating is related to negative moods.

‘However, volunteers did not overeat in  response to negative emotions but did overeat in response to positive  ones.

‘These findings could be of value for the  treatment of obesity. They underline the importance of positive emotions on  overeating, which are often overlooked.’

Rose Aghdami, a Berkshire-based psychologist  who specialises in treating emotional eaters, said being happy can indeed  increase calorie intake as much as being unhappy.

But she said the difference is happy eaters  tend to over-indulge during social functions and in the company of others,  whereas unhappy eaters are more likely to shut themselves away in order to  binge.

‘These people have an unhealthy relationship  with food and are using it for all the wrong reasons,’ she said.

Read more: DailyMail