A call to experimentally study acute affect-regulation mechanisms specific to driven exercise in eating disorders.

Driven exercise (i.e., feeling compelled to exercise to control one's weight or shape, to obtain other positive consequences of exercising, or to avoid other negative consequences of not exercising) is a common phenomenon in individuals with eating disorders (EDs), typically associated with negative clinical outcomes. Current theoretical models of driven exercise highlight the short-term affect-regulating outcome of acute driven exercise, which is implicated to maintain this symptom either by positive or negative reinforcement. However, few studies have actually investigated cognitive, affective, and psychobiological mechanisms related to acute driven exercise. In particular, experimental s…