This paper investigates the effect of nocebo suggestions on food craving levels and explores whether personality traits, specifically neuroticism and impulsivity, moderate this impact. The study...Show moreThis paper investigates the effect of nocebo suggestions on food craving levels and explores whether personality traits, specifically neuroticism and impulsivity, moderate this impact. The study was conducted using a sample of 21 volunteers which were recruited from Leiden University, and used a randomised controlled trial design. The two groups that were used in the analysis were control and nocebo groups (increase hunger). Nocebo group participants received a sham vagus nerve stimulation and were exposed to suggestions that this stimulation will increase their hunger. Food craving was measured using a Visual Analogue Scale at different time points throughout the experiment, and self-report inventories were used to assess neuroticism and impulsivity. A repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and a moderation analysis were performed to analyse the data. The results showed significant changes in craving intensity, F(3, 57) = 11.14, p < .001, with higher craving levels in the control group compared to the nocebo group. Neither neuroticism F(3, 17) = 0.37, p = .77, nor impulsivity, F(3, 17) = 2.11, p = .14, were significant in moderating the relationship between nocebo suggestions and food cravings. However, impulsivity independently showed a significant negative effect on craving ratings, where higher impulsivity was related to lower food cravings, b = -11.07, t(df) = -2.18, p = .04. The study’s limitations included a small sample size and ambiguous definitions of nocebo effects, which could have affected the results. Future research should focus on exploring other personality traits to deepen our understanding of their effect on nocebo suggestions and food cravings.Show less
The traditional approach to research and diagnosis in psychiatry has been to focus on one specific diagnostic criterium at a time (DSM-5). Recent criticism suggests a transdiagnostic method that...Show moreThe traditional approach to research and diagnosis in psychiatry has been to focus on one specific diagnostic criterium at a time (DSM-5). Recent criticism suggests a transdiagnostic method that focuses more on underlying behavioral and cognitive traits to predict vulnerability to disorders such as OCD, ADHD, and eating disorders. Among these traits are impulsivity and compulsivity. According to the traditional model, impulsivity and compulsivity exist as a spectrum that is thought to be influenced by reward and avoidance sensitivity. In addition, this work proposes the use of the Metacontrol State Model (Hommel, 2015) in order to explore the Impulsivity-Compulsivity spectrum at the hand of flexibility and persistence. This study aims to explore to what extent reward-avoidance sensitivity and flexibility-persistence can account for Impulsivity-Compulsivity. 41 participants partook in this study that measured Impulsivity-Compulsivity using the S-UPPS, flexibility-persistence using the Stroop task and the AUT, and reward-avoidance sensitivity as per the MID. A multiple linear regression analysis found that trait biases towards the Metacontrol states flexibility-persistence positively predicted the Impulsivity-Compulsivity spectrum. Additionally, reward sensitivity negatively predicted impulsivity, the opposite of what was theorized. This relationship is explored with the help of more recent research, which suggests that the traditional model of reward-avoidance sensitivity oversimplifies Impulsivity-Compulsivity. However, results were found to be inconsistent. Thus, this work suggests that the relationship between reward-avoidance sensitivity and the Impulsivity-Compulsivity spectrum is further explored. In addition, this work provides preliminary evidence in favor of the Metacontrol State Model as a transdiagnostic tool.Show less
During adolescence people undergo a vast array of neurological changes. Adolescents show increased levels of impulsivity due to an imbalance in neurological maturation. A plethora of literature...Show moreDuring adolescence people undergo a vast array of neurological changes. Adolescents show increased levels of impulsivity due to an imbalance in neurological maturation. A plethora of literature looks into this subject and how this development can be influenced via healthy behaviours like physical exercise. This longitudinal study hypothesized that physical exercise has a decreasing effect on the development of impulsivity. Multiple regressions were carried out cross-sectional as well as longitudinal to assess whether physical exercise had a significant positive effect on impulsivity within one time point and over time. Cross-sectional results showed that a higher cardiovascular condition is strongly related to lowered impulsivity. The longitudinal analysis showed no significant results, implying that the effect of exercise on inhibition is not significant over time. This study provides preliminary evidence that exercise may have beneficial effects on adolescents’ levels of impulsivity, and discusses practical implicationsShow less
