The curvilinear relationship between perceived stress and spicy food craving in Young females: A non-linear mediation effect of positive emotional experience of spicy food consumption

Abstract

Stress has substantial impact on eating behaviors. Recent data have shown that nearly as many people picked spicy food as sweet food to counteract their perceived stress. Given the well-documented physiological and psychological benefits of spicy food consumption, understanding its relationship with perceived stress could provide valuable insights for developing effective stress-management strategies. The current study examined the relationship between perceived stress and spicy food craving among 196 young female participants using the Perceived Stress Scale, Spicy Food Craving Questionnaire, and Spicy Food Emotional Experience Questionnaire. Lind and Mehlum's three-step procedure was used to test the U-shaped relationship, and Hayes and Preacher's method was employed to examine the nonlinear mediation pathway. Results revealed a significant U-shaped relationship between perceived stress and spicy food craving, mediated by positive emotional experiences associated with spicy food consumption. Specifically, both no to very low and high to extreme levels of perceived stress correlated with heightened positive emotional experiences when consuming spicy foods, leading to increased cravings. These findings suggest that varying levels of perceived stress may differentially influence individuals' emotional responses to spicy food consumption, which in turn affects their spicy food cravings. The identified mediation pathway illuminates the complex interaction between stress, appetite, and emotional experience of eating. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the relationship between perceived stress and spicy food craving, providing new insights into the potential therapeutic applications of spicy foods or capsaicin in stress management.