Food for Thought 1 Running Head: THOUGHT SHAPE FUSION AND SOCIAL ANXIETY Food for Thought: Manipulating Thought Shape Fusion and its Effect on Social Outcomes

Thought shape fusion (TSF) is a cognitive distortion associated with eating psychopathology in which individuals believe that simply thinking about fattening food leads to weight gain. The current study sought to determine if it was possible to manipulate the distorted beliefs underlying TSF and, if so, whether this impacted negative affect and social outcomes. Findings provided some support that it was possible to manipulate TSF (when focusing on the specific belief targeted by the manipulation) and that the manipulation may have influenced negative affect and certain social outcomes (though some of the primary analyses did not reach significance). Additionally, as expected, research indicated that there was a significant association between TSF, social anxiety, and eating psychopathology (the latter when using non-parametric correlations). Future research should examine the underlying mechanisms linking these mental health problems.