CSIRO research scientist Naomi Kakoschke, who led the analysis, wanted to discover what drives an individual’s eating habits.

"It's really about understanding not just what we eat, but why we eat the way we do, and how to make meaningful, lasting changes.

Kakoschke found that mood has a significant impact on people’s eating habits, with 76 percent of participants reporting that they ate more when bored, and 55 percent more when feeling depressed.

As for positive emotions, 46 percent of participants reported eating less when they felt happy.

Sex also played a role in the results, with females more likely to use food for a hit of dopamine. The survey revealed that while 24 percent of female participants reported eating to lift their mood compared, only 16 percent of males did the same.

When it came to tempting foods, 72 percent of people said that chocolate was the most enticing food when they were trying to form healthier eating habits.

It was followed by cheese at 61 percent, and bread rolls at 52 percent.

Kakoschke said the analysis wasn't intended to suggest people couldn't eat foods like chocolate, but to highlight why they may be drawn to it.

The top three strategies for getting healthy habits to stick were monitoring food intake, building support and accountability from social networks, and monitoring progress towards personal goals.

Kakoschke says that the data highlights that building healthy eating habits requires "more than just good intentions".

"It requires support to make small, incremental changes that can be sustained over the longer-term," she said.