I have several main areas of interest, and generally have students (undergrad and graduate) involved in running experiments on various topics each year (often in collaboration with Prof. Peter Herman). My main interest has been and continues to be the influence of restrained eating (chronic dieting) on behavior (including, but not limited to eating behavior) and the self. Our discovery of the “what the hell effect” whereby dieting leads to binge eating has continued to foster further questions about the effects of trying to eat less than one would really like to. This includes studies of eating behavior, cognitive and emotional reactions (contributing to and in reaction to food-related events), and personality correlates/contributors to dieting. My work in this area has always had a behavioral slant; that is, we try to include a measure of some kind of actual behavior beyond self-report questions. This often makes my lab a popular place, as we tend to have lots of good food around!

My interest in dieting and eating behavior has led me more recently to more general considerations of the effects of suppressing motivated behaviors (behavioral inhibition leads to behavioral overcompensation, as well as intrusive thoughts, negative affect, and self-blame), and examination of the process of self-regulation and self-change. In particular, I have been investigating the effects of making resolutions to change oneself, which often lead to what I have dubbed the “False Hope Syndrome.” Self-change attempts often involve raising “false hopes” in participants, who begin with unrealistic ideas of how quickly and easily they will change, and expect impossible benefits from such changes. We examine the factors that produce such false hopes, as well as assessing the impact of these.

In addition to my main interests, I also have some side interests in emotion (recognition in self and others, as well as effects of failure to acknowledge one’s own emotions) and physical activity (compulsive exercising).

Finally, my work on dieting and my clinical practice have both brought me into the field of eating disorders. I do not generally supervise students in this work, however, as I do not have a population of patients available, but collaborate with colleagues in hospital settings who do have such patients.