TAKE THE YALE FOOD ADDICTION SCALE TEST BELOW
We previously tackled the question of whether it’s possible to become addicted to fizzy drinks, and found that it is indeed.
People can become addicted to food and drinks (usually the types of food that are classed as “comfort foods”), and it is even a clinical condition, recorded in the DSM.
The Yale Food Addiction Scale is the only psychological self-report measure for determining whether someone may have a food addiction.
- The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Why we think we know more than we do
- The Yale Food Addiction Scale: Are you addicted to food?
- Addicted to Pepsi Max? Understand addiction in six minutes (video)
If you’re interested to find out whether you might have a food addiction, or just keen to see the self-report measure in action, you can complete the questionnaire below.
There are 35 statements, and each case you’ll be required to give a numerical answer (from 0-7) depending on how frequently the statement applies to you.
The YFAS below is Gearhardt, Corbin & Brownwell’s (2016) Version 2.0, which was published in the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.
The Yale Food Addiction Scale Version 2.0
This survey asks about your eating habits in the past year. People sometimes have difficulty controlling how much they eat of certain foods such as:
- Sweets, like ice cream, chocolate, doughnuts, cookies, cake & candy.
- Starches, likes white bread, rolls, pasta & rice.
- Salty Snacks, like chips, pretzels & crackers.
- Fatty Foods, like steak, bacon, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, pizza & french fries.
- Sugary Drinks, like soda pop, lemonade, sports drinks & energy drinks.
When the following questions ask about “CERTAIN FOODS”, please think of ANY foods or beverages similar to those listed above, or ANY OTHER foods you have had difficulty with in the past year.
Please consider all statements in relation to the last 12 months.
Yale Food Addiction Scale: Questions
1 – In the past 12 months, when I started to eat certain foods, I ate much more than planned.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
2 – In the past 12 months, I continued to eat certain foods even though I was no longer hungry.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
3 – In the past 12 months, I ate to the point I felt physically ill.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
4 – In the past 12 months, I worried a lot about cutting down on certain types of food, but I ate them anyways.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
5 – In the past 12 months, I spent a lot of time feeling sluggish or tired from overeating.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
6 – In the past 12 months, I spent a lot of time eating certain foods throughout the day.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
7 – In the last 12 months, when certain foods were not available, I went out of my way to get them. For examle, I went to the store to get certain foods even though I had other things to eat at home.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
8 – In the last 12 months, I ate certain foods so often of in such large amounts that I stopped doing other important things. These things may have been working or spending time with family or friends.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
9 – In the last 12 months, I had problems with my family or friends because of how much I overate.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
10 – In the last 12 months, I avoided work, school, or social activities because I was afraid I would overeat there.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
11 – In the last 12 months, when I cut down on or stopped eating certain foods, I felt irritable, nervous, or sad.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
12 – In the last 12 months, if I had physical symptoms because I hadn’t eaten certain foods, I would eat those foods to feel better.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
13 – In the last 12 months, if I had emotional problems because I hadn’t eaten certain foods, I would eat those foods to feel better.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
14 – In the last 12 months, when I cut down on or stopped eating certain foods, I had physical symptoms. For example, I had headaches or fatigue.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
15 – In the last 12 months, when I cut down or stopped eating certain foods, I had strong cravings for them.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
16 – In the last 12 months, my eating behaviour caused me a lot of distress.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
17 – In the last 12 months, I had significant problems in my life because of food and eating. These may have been problems with my daily routine, work, school, friends, family, or health.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
18 – In the last 12 months, I felt so bad about overeating that I didn’t do other important things. These things may has been working or spending time with family or friends.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
19 – In the last 12 months, my overeating got in the way of me taking care of my family or doing household chores.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
20 – In the last 12 months, I avoided work, school, or social functions because I could not eat certain foods there.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
21 – In the last 12 months, I avoided social situations because people wouldn’t approve of how much I ate.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
22 – In the last 12 months, I kept eating in the same way even though my eating caused emotional problems.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
23 – In the last 12 months, I kept eating in the same way even though my eating caused physical problems.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
24 – In the last 12 months, eating the same amount of food did not give me as much enjoyment as it used to.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
25 – In the last 12 months, I really wanted to cut down on or stop eating certain kinds of foods, but I just couldn’t.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
26 – In the last 12 months, I needed to eat more and more to get the feelings I wanted from eating. This included reducting negative emotions like sadness or increasing pleasure.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
27 – In the last 12 months, I didn’t do well at work or school because I was eating too much.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
28 – In the last 12 months, I kept eating certain foods even though I knew it was physically dangerous. For example, I kept eating sweets even though I had diabetes.Or I kept eating fatty foods despite having heart disease.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
29 – In the last 12 months, I had such strong urges to eat certain foods that I couldn’t think of anything else.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
30 – In the last 12 months, I had such intense cravings for certain foods that I felt like I had to eat them right away.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
31 – In the last 12 months, I tried to cut down on or not eat certain kinds of food, but I wasn’t successful.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
32 – In the last 12 months, I tried and failed to cut down on or stop eating certain foods.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
33 – In the last 12 months, I was so distracted by eating that I could have been hurt (e.g. when driving a car, crossing the street, operating machinery).
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
34 – In the last 12 months, I was so distracted by thinking about food that I could have been hurt (e.g. when driving a car, crossing the street, operating machinery).
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
35 – In the last 12 months, my friends or family were worried about how much I overate.
0 – Never
1 – Less than monthly
2 – Once a month
3 – 2-3 times a month
4 – Once a week
5 – 2-3 times a week
6 – 4-6 times a week
7 – Every day
Yale Food Addiction Scale: Scoring and Results
Click here to download an Excel Spreadsheet which will compute your responses to the 35 statements and provide your result of the Yale Food Addiction Scale.
