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A bidirectional relationship is a mutually influencing connection between two variables, in which each influences the other rather than one simply causing the other. In nutritional psychology, it is the field’s core organizing principle: dietary intake patterns influence mood, cognition, stress response, and behavior through neural, metabolic, inflammatory, and gut-brain pathways, while psychological, social, and environmental factors shape what a person notices, craves, chooses, and repeats around food.
Because the two directions often operate on different timescales and are supported by different amounts of evidence, describing a relationship as bidirectional means that influence has been demonstrated in both directions — not that the two directions are equal in strength, speed, or certainty.
Author and reviewer
Editorial responsibilityReferences and further reading
- https://www.nutritional-psychology.org/research-summaries/memory-and-eating-a-bidirectional-relationship-implicated-in-obesity/
How to cite this entry
Ephi Morphew-Lu. (2026). Bidirectional Relationship. In Encyclopedia of Nutritional Psychology. The Center for Nutritional Psychology.
https://www.nutritional-psychology.org/encyclopedia/bidirectional-relationship/Know a term that belongs in the Encyclopedia?
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