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Executive function is a set of top-down neurocognitive processes — anchored by the three core components of inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility (shifting), and supporting higher-order processes such as reasoning, problem solving, and planning that enable goal-directed action, flexible adaptation to changing demands, and regulation of thought, emotion, and behavior, and that depend on prefrontal cortex circuitry.
In nutritional psychology, executive function is a central substrate of the self-regulation of eating, shaping the capacity to inhibit impulses toward palatable, energy-dense foods, hold dietary goals in mind, shift flexibly between food choices, and align intake with hunger, satiety, and long-term health goals, with weaker executive function — particularly deficits in inhibitory control and working memory — linked to overeating, disinhibited eating, emotional eating, obesity, and eating psychopathology.
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Editorial responsibilityReferences and further reading
- Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135–168. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31590731/ View source
- Friedman, N. P., & Robbins, T. W. (2022). The role of prefrontal cortex in cognitive control and executive function. Neuropsychopharmacology, 47(1), 72–89. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34408280/ View source
- Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex "Frontal Lobe" tasks: a latent variable analysis. Cognitive psychology, 41(1), 49–100. https://doi.org/10.1006/cogp.1999.0734 View source
- M Dassen, F. C., Houben, K., Allom, V., & Jansen, A. (2018). Self-regulation and obesity: The role of executive function and delay discounting in the prediction of weight loss. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 41(6), 806. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-018-9940-9 View source
- Shields, C. V., Hultstrand, K. V., West, C. E., Gunstad, J. J., & Sato, A. F. (2022). Disinhibited Eating and Executive Functioning in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(20), 13384. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013384 View source
- Jasinska, A. J., Yasuda, M., Burant, C. F., Gregor, N., Khatri, S., Sweet, M., & Falk, E. B. (2012). Impulsivity and inhibitory control deficits are associated with unhealthy eating in young adults. Appetite, 59(3), 738. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.08.001 View source
- Dohle, S., Diel, K., & Hofmann, W. (2018). Executive functions and the self-regulation of eating behavior: A review. Appetite, 124, 4–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2017.05.041 View source
How to cite this entry
CNP (2026). Executive Function. In CNP Encyclopedia Editorial Board (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Nutritional Psychology. The Center for Nutritional Psychology.
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