As finals approach, students may practice certain eating habits to help them from getting stressed. However, psychological studies indicate “stress eating” may be more of an excuse than a real thing.

When a person is stressed, the nervous system is affected in the same way as if the person were excited, which actually suppresses the appetite, said Larry Bates, professor of psychology.

“It’s counter-intuitive for us to eat when we’re stressed,” Bates said.

If a person is stressed, blood will leave the stomach and digestion is inhibited, he said. People interpret this feeling differently. Some interpret the feeling as nausea and do not want to eat, and some interpret it as hunger and feel like they need to eat, Bates said.

Stress drives the body two ways: It leads to anxiety, which hypes the body up, or it leads to depression. Depression has no norm concerning appetite because some people eat more when they are depressed and some do not want to eat at all, Bates said.

Although it is not a naturally occurring physiological phenomenon, stress eating may come from a desire to return to a happy place. This link between food and desires has been the push behind much psychological research, Bates said.

“What we know mostly about learning, we know from experiments with food,” Bates said.

This is related to the experiment concerning classical conditioning, in which Ivan Pavlov would feed a dog and ring a bell after each time. Eventually, the dog began to associate the bell with food and would salivate assoon as he heard the bell ring

Humans can perform the same type of conditioned practices. They eat food that remind them of happy times, regardless of the type of food they are eating, Bates said.

Rachel Crane, a nursing major, said she knows she tends to eat more when she’s stressed.

“I was studying and came to Chick-fil- A at 9 p.m.” Crane said.

Crane prefers salty food, like French fries, when she’s stressed, which may be a conditioned response, she said.

Lauren Pacetti, a nursing major, said she eats because she feels like she’s rewarding herself for studying.

“Sweets are more my thing,” Pacetti said.

She said she usually wants chocolate when she’s stressed out.

Jasmine Frazier, a junior, experiences hunger in a way that is in line with Bates’ explanation.

“When I’m stressed, I actually eat less because I’m always thinking about something else to do,” she said.

Tyia Wilson, a freshman, said she also does not like to eat when she is stressed.

“I just don’t feel like eating, I just sleep,” Wilson said.

Deedee Barfield, a freshman, said when she’s in a good mood, her appetite isn’t affected.