Boredom and stress among key triggers of 'food noise' that fuels overeating, study shows

The study found that 43% of people think about food ‘constantly’ throughout the day.

In fact, one in three (30%) find these thoughts to be uncontrollable or report that their relationship with food has a negative impact on them, their life and mental wellbeing.

This figure more than doubles amongst those with obesity, where 69% say that their relationship with food negatively impacts their mental wellbeing.

The phenomenon of persistent thoughts and urges around food – sometimes dubbed ‘food noise’ – may be undermining healthy eating habits and contributing to the UK's obesity crisis.

Yet just a quarter of Brits (25%) know about this very common experience, according to new research by digital health company Numan.

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Zoe Griffiths, VP of Behavioural Medicine at Numan, said: “The idea that managing weight is purely about willpower is outdated.

"Our findings show that almost everyone experiences ‘food noise’ – those intrusive thoughts about food – which can derail even the best intentions.

"We need to acknowledge that constant cravings and cues aren’t simply due to a lack of self-control, but are a real phenomenon shaped by our environment, emotions and biology.”

The survey’s findings showed significant breadth of emotional and environmental triggers to be among the top reasons why respondents eat when they don’t need to.

Top five emotional triggers of food noise identified:

• Boredom (33%)
• Wanting a little treat or pick-me-up (26%)
• Stress (24%)
• Low mood or depression (24%)
• Lack of sleep (17%)

Top five environmental triggers uncovered:

• Availability of fast food (35%)
• Easy reach placement of sweets and snacks when shopping (24%)
• Interrupted routines (22%)
• Office snacks (19%)
• TV ads (19%)

Emotional wellbeing triggers such as low mood or depression (37% vs. 21%), stress (31% vs. 22%), anxiety (22% vs. 13%), and frustration or anger (14% vs 7%) were revealed to have a significantly greater impact on those who described themselves as being overweight or obese in terms of giving in to food noise.

The survey found widespread temptation to be a common issue, with 88% of respondents at least sometimes feeling compelled to eat even when they have no physical hunger. In fact, 43% say thoughts of food are on their mind “all the time.”

Four in ten Britons (44%) explained that they struggle to resist their cravings when they experience food noise, with this rocketing to seven in ten (70%) for those who described themselves as either overweight or obese.

Evenings are the worst time for unneeded snacking – a third (31%) of people struggle the most to resist cravings at night, making it the prime time for so-called ‘food noise’ to strike.

The study found 65% of those surveyed believe their food choices come down to personal willpower. Yet the prevalence of food noise suggests emotional and physiological factors (beyond sheer willpower) play a major role in people’s eating behaviour.

Numan’s experts warn that this disconnect between perception and reality could hinder effective weight management.

Ms Griffiths added: “To tackle issues like food noise, we have to treat obesity as the complex condition it is.

"That means looking at the whole person – their mindset, habits, hormones, and daily environment – not just telling them to eat less.

"Too many people still see obesity through the lens of personal failure rather than as a complex condition influenced by genetics, socio-economics, and environmental factors."