Psychological Tension and Nutrition Habits
Mia Hoffmann
2026-03-22
6 min. read
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Widely distributed food products today fulfill a variety of functions, not only quenching hunger, but also serving cultural, social, and psychological purposes. Food is often viewed as a method of coping with psychological stress, which unfortunately leads to a number of negative consequences, such as eating disorders, weight gain, and deterioration of physical and mental health.
Understanding Stress: Core Definitions and the Body’s Response Mechanisms
To grasp the phenomenon of stress in its entirety, it is essential to examine its foundational scientific definitions. As early as 1977, the Canadian endocrinologist Hans Selye proposed that stress constitutes **a systemic, non-specific response of the organism** to both external and internal stimuli, collectively termed stressors. These stimuli—through the activation of intricate neuroendocrine pathways and cognitive processes—disrupt homeostatic balance, potentially leading to deterioration in both physical and mental health. Conversely, a psychological perspective introduced in 1984 by Richard S. Lazarus and Susan Folkman defines stress as **a dynamic interplay between an individual and their surrounding social and environmental context**, with its severity contingent upon subjective threat appraisal and the availability of coping resources. When environmental demands surpass an individual’s adaptive capacities, a state of overload ensues, adversely impacting well-being and overall quality of life.
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