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“On an empty stomach”, “a piece does not fit into the throat”, “hunger in the stomach grumbles” – our language is rich in idioms that associate food intake with various organs of the body. The head is never mentioned among them, but in vain: it is not the throat or stomach that is responsible for our ability to eat right or overeat, but the brain.
Back in 1998, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania conducted an experiment that today may not be considered very ethical, but does not become less convincing because of this. It involved two patients with severe amnesia. So heavy that they were not able to remember what happened to them just a minute ago.
The patients were offered a hearty lunch, which they ate with pleasure. A few minutes later they were informed that it was time for dinner, and they again ate a multi-course dinner with gusto. It all happened again for the third time…
It is difficult to imagine more obvious evidence of how important the role of the brain in the process of eating food. It is enough for us simply not to remember what we have recently eaten in order to start eating with appetite. And the influence of the brain on our eating habits is not limited to this. The June issue of the Journal of Consumer Research presents several interesting studies on this topic at once.
“It’s not tasty? So it’s useful!”
The sad truth about how the brain relates to healthy food has long been known. Bad attitude. We unconsciously expect healthy foods to not taste very good.
Psychologists and marketers from the Universities of South Florida, Michigan and Columbia in a series of experiments offered participants an extremely simple and enjoyable task. They had to watch TV while eating chocolate muffin slices. Some of the cupcakes were soft and tender, and some were stale. When the TV began to broadcast important and smart things about calories and the dangers of obesity, the subjects unconsciously chose the stale pieces of cake.
The presence of a separate menu of healthy low-calorie dishes in the restaurant contributes to the fact that these dishes are ordered much less frequently.
The authors of the study are sure that the brain considers healthier not only less tasty, but also more “difficult” food – for example, one that is harder to chew. Hence the danger of overeating, for example, nuts or cereal bars. These are very high-calorie foods, but many people clearly abuse them, based on the erroneous postulate: “if it’s so hard to chew, then it’s probably good for health.”
Found something useful? So you can eat bad food!
Researchers Jeffrey Parker and Donald Lehmann found that having a separate menu of healthy, low-calorie meals in a restaurant contributes to fewer orders of those meals. The authors of the article suggest that such a menu has a calming effect on restaurant guests: they understand that they are in an institution that does not threaten their health, and, having loosened control, they order something completely unhealthy.
This trend was first noticed in 2009 while observing visitors to McDonald’s fast food restaurants. In the mid-XNUMXs, McDonald’s actively advertised the presence of “healthy” dishes on its menu – in particular, salads and fresh fruits. The result was successful for McDonald’s, but not for customers.
The researchers found that advertising attracted a large number of dieters to the restaurant. They came in thinking that they could find something quite suitable for themselves on the menu. But as a result, they ordered not salads or fruits at all, but all the same burgers. Their goal was to eat at establishments offering dietary meals. Well, formally they reached it…
Big piece of cake? Never! And eight little ones?
And finally, one more danger that should be remembered by those who are on a diet or counting calories. Imagine that you have to urgently finish important work, and a friend suggests going to the movies. You will probably refuse, realizing that you cannot afford to interrupt for 2-3 hours.
We easily avoid big temptations and, almost without noticing, succumb to small ones.
Now imagine that the same friend offers to drink a cup of coffee in a nearby cafe. The likelihood that you will agree increases dramatically. In the end, it will be useful to free your head for a while, even for work, and a cup of coffee will not hurt, and it will take all this half an hour at most. As a result, you may well sit for a heart-to-heart conversation with a friend for the same 2-3 hours, never once thinking about work.
Exactly the same thing happens with food, psychologists found out. We easily avoid big temptations and, almost without noticing, succumb to small ones. When a dieter is offered a huge piece of chocolate cake with whipped cream, he resolutely refuses. But if there is a dish of small cakes with fruit filling nearby, then he may well judge that from one cake, and even with fruit, there will definitely not be any particular harm. Or maybe two. And from three…