During times of stress our bodies release cortisol to help us meet the challenge. Long-term exposure to cortisol can be damaging and we are biologically programmed to lower it as quickly as possible.

Dopamine is a feel-good brain chemical that lowers our cortisol levels. It gets released when we anticipate a reward or something pleasurable. Dopamine also helps us remember and repeat the behaviors that were successful in getting us the dopamine release in the first place.

So when we grab a brownie or a bag of potato chips when we are stressed, our brains get a dopamine hit which makes us feel better – but not for long. Often, we start beating ourselves up for not having enough willpower to make a healthier choice.

But that self-criticism fires the same parts of our brains that fire when we feel punished and threatened. It increases our cortisol. Then we do what dopamine has trained our brains to do to lower cortisol – reach for a “comfort food” so we can get the dopamine hit and feel better. And so the cycle goes.

This is just one of the many ways our neurobiology undermines our good intentions for change. In trying to help us survive (lowering cortisol) it creates unwanted long-term consequences. 

One of the keys to ending stress-eating is learning to manage your body's stress response. It might seem obvious, but many people just focus on the behaviors they want to change, not necessarily what is underlying the factors. Trying to manage stress eating without lowering the stress can be an uphill battle.