Bad Appetite

The social, psychological, and biological drivers of appetite

Susan Carnell is a research psychologist at the New York Obesity Research Center and Columbia University, where she studies what drives some people toward obesity. See full bio

January 19, 2009

Can’t ditch your load? Consider a sex change.

Have you ever noticed that men are better dieters than women? My girlfriends sweat and strain for months to lose just a couple of extra inches. But when my male friends decide to banish their beer belly it's gone in a matter of weeks. How can life be this cruel?

January 7, 2009

Happy New Year! Now tighten your belt.

Job cuts. Foreclosures. Rising gas prices. The economy hasn't looked this dire in decades and 2009's going to be a tough one. But what does it mean for the obesity epidemic? Is the world just too horrible for anyone to care about something as trivial as an expanding girth? Or could the downturn actually help us get skinny waists as well as wallets? Read More

December 15, 2008

Am I normal? Yes, but you’re still overweight.

I get paid to find out why people get fat. I read statistics about the ever-growing numbers of obese people. I go into schools to weigh children and assess their eating habits. I even see obesity surgery patients as they prepare to get their stomachs stapled. So why is it that when I first look at someone I still have no idea if they're overweight or not?

December 9, 2008

When less is more... more or less

Modern diets are custom-designed to trick us all into overindulgence. So it makes sense to tell consumers what they're getting their teeth into. But is posting calories enough to make us rethink that mint chocolate chip frappuccino with chocolate whipped cream? How are people really using the information? Read More

November 29, 2008

Stuff Yourself

When I moved to New York last year I was thrilled to be invited to a genuine, bona fide, American Thanksgiving meal. "How exciting, your first Thanksgiving!" said my coworker, Chris. "Now remember. It's really important that you should eat so much food that you literally want to throw up." Read More

November 29, 2008

Weighing on my mind

By 2015 700 million people will be obese. Many people still think obesity results from a weak character, but to suggest that 10% of the world spontaneously lost its balls in the last few years? Well it's starting to sound like a pretty weak argument. As a psychologist specializing in appetite and obesity I've been devouring all the weight-related research I can digest for an extra-large portion of my life - and I think it's about time to start offloading some of the extra pounds. Read More

Eating Disorders Basics

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is prevalent especially among young women and, increasingly, among young men. Marked by a distorted sense of body image and extreme voluntary starvation, and closely associated with perfectionism and depression, it is the most deadly psychiatric disorder.

Go to the Anorexia Nervosa Basics page for more on Anorexia Nervosa including:

Disordered eating is widespread in the American population, but frank eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, which is also called bing

Go to the Eating Disorders Basics page for more on Eating Disorders including:

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