Decision-making and overweight: Hypersensitivity to reward or hyposensitivity to punishment

Evidence suggests that overeating may represent another form of "behavioural" addiction, whereby the brain's natural reward circuits become altered as a result of chronic over consumption. This study sought to examine whether the increased sensitivity to reward (STIR), decreased sensitivity to punishment (STP) and poor decision-making characteristic of many substancedependent individuals were also present in a community sample of women who were overweight or obese. One hundred and ten women (X age = 33.6 years, SD = 6.71) with varying body weight (BMI ranging from 19 to 49) completed two versions of the Iowa Gambling task as a means of assessing decision-making. Sensitivity to reward and punishment were assessed using the BIS/BAS and SPSRQ. Findings using linear multiple regression analyses, suggest that increasing BMI was linked to poorer decision-making, a lowered STP and a heightened STIR. Finally, poor decision-making did not mediate the relationship between STR/STP and body mass.