In the media &
press features
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Annelise Lai is available for media commentary, expert opinion, and speaking engagements on psychology, mental health, and wellbeing.
Recent features
CNA938 The Wellness Hour:
Hui Wong speaks to Annelise Lai, Senior Psychologist and Founder of Soma Psychology Clinic about food noise - the constant mental chatter about eating, and why it’s important to do something about it.
Documentary on Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Annelise was interviewed by Channel U as a featured expert in the documentary series 'Faces of Asia,' speaking on Body Dysmorphic Disorder and its psychological impact.
Channel 8: Talk of The Town
Annelise discussed "食物噪音" (food noise), the persistent, intrusive thoughts about eating that occur even when you're not physically hungry. In the interview, she explained that these urges are often rooted in emotional stress or restrictive dieting, and that lasting change comes from addressing the emotional triggers behind them, rather than focusing solely on the food itself.
Morning Shot: The Health Gap Men Don’t Talk About
Annelise joins the Breakfast Show to discuss how delayed action may surface in the daily lives of working adults, and what earlier, stigma-free intervention can realistically look like for individuals and organisations alike.
Podcast Interviews
In this conversation, Annelise breaks down: why high achievers binge eat even when they’re disciplined in every other area of life.
If you’re a professional, founder, or leader who struggles with performance pressure and the late-night eating that often comes with it, this conversation will help you understand what’s really happening and what to do next.
In this episode, Clinical Psychologist Annelise Lai explains why teen girls are struggling, how to spot the difference between "normal" teen moodiness and serious depression, and why self-harm is actually a cry for connection, not attention.
Articles & Publications
The Business Time: Obesity is ballooning – and office life can make it worse.
Published Jan 16, 2026 · 02:00 PM
Annelise commented: “After a long, mentally taxing day, the part of the brain responsible for impulse control is depleted. Our rational self knows we should choose a balanced meal, but the exhausted brain defaults to the easiest, fastest source of pleasure, usually the most calorically rewarding options.”
Forum: Time to address misconceptions about eating disorders
Published Feb 27, 2023 · 05:00 AM
Time to consider compulsory registration, regulation for psychologists
Published Mar 06, 2019 · 08:22PM
Genetic make-up: The lowdown on a new generation of parents opting to photoshop images of their children
Published Dec 24, 2024
Other factors do come into play, such as a parent’s cultural background and experiences. “For example, if they have undergone or witnessed discrimination, they may believe that by altering their child’s appearance through photoshop, they are protecting them from potential criticism or embarrassment,” states Annelise.
The effect of under-eating or being underweight.
Published on ‘Singapore Psychologist’ #4 (Q3 2020), a quarterly flagship magazine by the Singapore Psychological Society.
Pisa report: Students' fear of failure tied to focus on results
Published Dec 05, 2019, 05:00 AM
Annelise said: "Before the phasing out of academic streaming by 2024, failing an exam could mean being ranked at the bottom of society or discriminated since a young age."
International Conference
Speaker | International Psychological Forum (June 2021) Representing the Singapore Psychological Society.
Topic: A Singapore Perspective on Children and Youth in a Digital World.
Presenter | 13th International Conference on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (ICCAP 2018)
Topic: Emotional Priming and Emotion Coupling in Vulnerability to Eating Disorders
Presenter | 13th International Conference on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (ICCAP 2018)
Topic: Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT-E) for an Adolescent with Anorexia Nervosa