A taste of (dis)trust: do social cynicism and gratitude predict and reciprocate addiction-like eating?

BACKGROUND: Addiction-like eating, characterized by impaired impulse control over food consumption and intense food cravings, is closely linked to overweight and poses both physical and mental health risks. Drawing on a social cognitive perspective, this study examined whether and how social beliefs (i.e., social cynicism) and social emotions (i.e., gratitude) are associated with addiction-like eating and tested their longitudinal interplay. METHODS: = 32.46 years, SD = 7.72), of whom 660 remained at Wave 2 (W2). Cross-lagged panel modeling was conducted to examine the reciprocal associations among social cynicism, gratitude, and addiction-like eating over time. RESULTS: Social cynicism at W1 predicted higher levels of addiction-like eating at W2 (β = 0.07, p = .008), and vice versa (β = 0.08, p = .012). Gratitude at W1 predicted lower addiction-like eating at W2 (β = -0.10, p < .001), whereas W1 addiction-like eating predicted reduced W2 gratitude (β = -0.05, p = .031). Moreover, a significant unidirectional path was observed from gratitude at W1 to reduced W2 social cynicism (β = -0.16, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Findings revealed a bidirectional link between lower gratitude/higher social cynicism and greater risks of addiction-like eating. Targeted intervention strategies such as gratitude-centered reappraisal may serve as a complement to traditional symptom-focused approaches in addressing addiction-like eating patterns.