In addition to coping mechanisms, the reasons why people who are chronically stressed and eat in response to their negative moods are also related to the idea that some foods have seemingly addictive qualities. From a biological perspective, some of the chemicals produced during stressful times help determine what one eats and how one stores fat in the body. Recent studies have used scans of the brain to investigate similarities in the brain chemistry of drug addicts and chronic overeaters. Evidence shows that several chemicals in the brain can influence the motivation to eat. One class of drugs is the endogenous opioids. Drugs of abuse strongly stimulate this system either directly or indirectly. For example, when a person eats palatable foods (foods that taste good), such as chocolate, the body releases trace amounts of opioids, which in turn help elevate mood. That "reward" may reinforce a liking for foods that remind one of this satisfying and good feeling.

Serotonin has been coined the "feel-good" hormone and also plays an important role in the regulation of mood and appetite. It influences the intake of certain substances such as alcohol and cocaine. Excessive consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods has been found to be associated with negative moods. Similarly, recent evidence has shown that consumption of carbohydrates is often used as self-medication because sugar-filled, carbohydrate-rich foods trigger the release of serotonin and, in turn, temporarily elevate mood.

The brains of obese individuals may also be lacking brain receptors for dopamine, a chemical that is part of the brain's motivation and reward system. Dopamine, like serotonin, makes a person feel good and could be strongly related to the urges one has to eat something in order to make one feel good. In a study comparing the brain scans of obese and normal-weight volunteers, researchers observed that obese individuals had fewer dopamine receptors compared to lean individuals. Thus, the brains of obese people and drug addicts both have fewer dopamine receptors than normal subjects. Whether this suggests a propensity to addiction (drugs in one case, food in the other) for these individuals or a reaction to drug use and overeating is not clear. However, low dopamine has been related to emotional eating scores on a questionnaire and to frequency of food cravings.

Several studies of the brain related to drug craving in addicted subjects suggest that similar brain circuits underlie the enhanced motivational drive for food in obese subjects that are found in drug-addicted subjects. Some obese people get more pleasure from eating than do people of normal weight. These individuals might be more likely to overeat in response to negative moods, because they get more pleasure from food than others.

In summary, the relationship between mood and food is circular, and comprises both psychological and biological pathways. As a result of either negative events or decreased levels of chemicals in the brain, people experience negative mood states. As a result, in response to past learned behaviors, a person overeats, choosing primarily sweet and fatty foods that produce chemicals that make him or her feel better. Simultaneously, this eating also distracts a person from negative moods. Once the eating episodes are finished, the person often feels very guilty and ashamed. This produces a brand-new cycle of negative moods and result in changes in brain chemistry.

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