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Interoceptive sensibility, intuitive eating, binge, and disordered eating behavior among individuals with obesity: A comparative study with the general population
Understanding the psychological dynamics of eating behaviors is crucial, especially in the context of obesity. A recent study investigated how interoceptive sensibility relates to binge and disordered eating patterns, comparing individuals with obesity (n = 57) to those with normal weight (n = 29).
The findings revealed that participants with obesity demonstrated significantly lower levels in three interoceptive dimensions: “attention regulation,” “body-listening,” and “trusting.” Notably, when adjusting for age, the difference in the “trusting” dimension persisted, indicating a consistent gap between the two groups.
Moreover, individuals with obesity exhibited decreased intuitive eating along with increased emotional and binge eating behaviors compared to their normal-weight counterparts. Critical predictors of lower binge eating included higher levels of “body listening,” eating driven by physical needs rather than emotional ones, and reliance on hunger and satiety cues. Conversely, a greater tendency for “external eating” was associated with increased binge eating within the obesity group.
Furthermore, the mechanisms of eating for physical reasons and the reliance on hunger and satiety cues served protective functions, moderating the relationship between external eating and binge eating in both demographics. These insights suggest that enhancing interoceptive sensibility and intuitive eating may provide valuable therapeutic avenues for addressing disordered eating and managing obesity. [NPID: Eating behavior, attention regulation, body-listening, external eating, binge eating, obesity]
Year: 2026
