… and for some more irrelevant research on eating disorders

i never cease to be amazed at the naivety (or – it wouldn’t be arrogance?) of some researchers in the social sciences. do they really never talk to the people who they research?

why am i telling you this? well, the good people at the national institute of health have amazing news for us! apparently – are you sitting down? – a significant amount of binge eating occurs at restaurants.

really?????

it’s like me walking up to you and saying, “let me study you, i think you may be spending some time on the internet. we need to research this! when we’re done researching, we’ll tell you what you’re doing. you may be surprised to find out that you sometimes read blogs!”

anyone who knows anything about binge eating will tell you that it happens in isolation and in restaurants, at noon and at night – that people whose drug of choice is food use anything from cookies to cucumbers, from strudel to strawberries, from french fries to falafel. some people’s addiction is limited to certain types of food, situations and triggers, and for others it’s a free-for-all.

going into all the little mechanical details of this addiction is of use only on an individual basis, not for sweeping generalizations. just as with the research on hair sampling to establish anorexia and bulimia, i can’t quite see how this research on restaurant eating among binge eaters is helpful.

anyone willing to correct me on this?

oh, and if you’re interested in more “duh” type research, try this, this, and this.

isabella mori
counselling in vancouver

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