The effect of screen use while eating on emotions: An experimental study on the moderating role of emotional valence of videos

Screen use while eating has become increasingly common, yet its emotional implications remain insufficiently understood. Although previous research has examined the effects of food consumption and screen use separately, less is known about how emotional experiences change when eating occurs during screen use, or whether these changes depend on the emotional valence of screen content. The present study used a controlled laboratory experiment to examine emotion changes during screen use while eating. We also tested whether video valence moderated the association between food intake and emotion change. A total of 88 Chinese university students (21.6% male; mean age = 20.47 years) were randomly assigned to a positive, negative, or neutral video condition while freely eating snacks. Participants rated their emotional states on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule before and after the video-watching session. Results showed that negative emotions decreased across the three conditions. Higher food intake during screen use was associated with greater improvements in positive emotions only during negative video viewing in the full sample. Hierarchical regression analysis further revealed that, among females, positive video content strengthened the positive relationship between food intake and positive emotion change, and strengthened the negative relationship between food intake and negative emotion change. Findings align with mood congruency theory and suggest that emotional outcomes during screen use while eating may depend partly on the emotional valence of screen content, particularly among female participants.