Earlier this summer, Wagner College reached the global stage when psychology Professor Laurence J. Nolan participated in an exclusive international roundtable on emotional eating research.
Organized by the University of Salzburg and funded by the Daimler-Benz Foundation, the two-day gathering took place in Ladenburg, Germany, and brought together 18 leading psychologists from nine countries — only five from the United States.
For those unfamiliar, emotional eating, according to Nolan, is “described as increased eating in the presence of negative emotions such as sadness, anxiety and loneliness. It is commonly reported by people, but it is not always easy to study.”
“There are some disagreements regarding how to assess it and discrepancies in the literature about how and when it occurs,” he explained. “However, because it is linked to weight gain and other forms of disordered eating (such as binge eating), there is a strong interest in getting a better understanding of how it works and how it can be treated in those who seek help in controlling overeating.”
The roundtable provided a unique opportunity to start conversations between researchers who conduct basic scientific studies, like Nolan, and psychotherapists seeking improved treatments for clients with eating disorders.
Nolan said the experience highlights Wagner’s commitment to supporting faculty research. “I think it is evidence that the resources that Wagner has provided to support faculty scholarship do raise the profile of the college. I think it demonstrates to students and alumni that those who teach at Wagner are recognized scholars and that will come through in the classroom.”
That commitment extends directly to Wagner students, who often collaborate with faculty on research projects. Nolan involved several students and alumni in his recent study on emotional eating, including two alumnae co-authors, Veronica Gallo and Gabriela Diorio, both Class of 2022 who helped set up the research protocol and reviewed thousands of papers for inclusion. When revisions required additional reviews, current students Katelyn Miranda (‘27), and Christopher Romano (‘25), stepped in to assist. “I knew both to be very detail-oriented and careful readers and they did a great job,” Nolan said.
The recent paper on emotional eating and body weight was published earlier this year and can be found here.
“Students, especially those who are interested in graduate study, should ask their professors about research opportunities,” he added. “There is a lot going on that they may not know about. The high degree of student-faculty contact at Wagner provides unique opportunities for collaboration.”
What’s next for the international stage? Nolan and his collaborators are working on a position paper to make recommendations regarding future emotional eating research.
“We hope we can submit this paper to a scientific journal in fall 2025. We’re hoping to present our position at a scientific conference as well.”
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- Photo Credit: Peter Dorn
