Young adult females' attitudes toward body weight regulation contain important emotional components. To study the effects of body weight cues on emotionality, 160 college students (75 females, 85 males) completed either a body weight related (Q1) or control (Q2) questionnaire prior to taking the California Test of Personality (CTP). An analysis of the results showed that women, but not men, respond emotionally to stimuli that focus attention on body weight, and the direction of the response pattern depends on body weight image. Overweight body image women given Q1 had significantly lower emotional adjustment scores than all others regardless of actual body weight. Women with normal images had higher CTP scores. Females given Q2 had equivalent scores regardless of body weight or image. Men's emotional response patterns were not influenced by weight related cues. These findings contribute to the methodology of studying populations with eating and/or body weight problems and the understanding of chronic dieting and eating disorders in young adult women. (Author/BL)