Hunger and Concentration in Daily Life: Inter-Individual Differences and Breakfast-Related Variation but No Robust Average Association

Momentary reductions in concentration may affect daily functioning. In addition to external distractors, bodily signals might divert attention from ongoing tasks. Hunger might not only signal short dips in energy supply but also trigger distracting interoceptive sensations. We focus on hunger as a frequent sensation that is regularly regulated through food intake and therefore may display a complex relation to concentration. To test the relation between hunger and concentration, 64 participants in an experience sampling study reported their momentary concentration, hunger, and food intake six times daily for four weeks. Using Bayesian multilevel within-between models, we assessed the hunger-concentration association and, in an exploratory analysis, whether prior food intake moderated this relation. We found no robust overall hunger-concentration association. Instead, associations varied across individuals, with more variation at the inter-individual than the within-individual day-to-day level. In exploratory analyses, the hunger-concentration association differed by breakfast status, such that a negative association was evident after breakfast but not when breakfast had not been consumed. Thus, the momentary hunger-concentration relation in daily life was characterised by inter-individual differences and possible dependence on meal intake in specific situations. These findings suggest that everyday concentration may be shaped less by hunger per se than by individual differences and related regulatory behaviour.