Responsiveness to affective stimuli by obese and normal individuals.

The hypothesis that the obese are more responsive than normals to both positive and negative affective stimuli was tested in two experiments. In the first, obese and normal high school males gave ratings of positively and negatively arousing slides. In the second, the behavior of obese and normal children in a positively and a negatively arousing situation was observed. Obese subjects in both studies responded more strongly than normals to the positive affective stimuli; obese subjects in the first study responded more strongly than normals to the negative emotional stimulus. A possible reason for the failure of obese subjects in the second study to respond more strongly than normals to the negative affective stimulus was discussed.