WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Why Do We Feel Hungry When We're Not?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren vogle bam here, And this is a

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<v Speaker 1>classic brain Stuff episode. This one deals with the feeling

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<v Speaker 1>of wanting to eat. It's a strange one because it's

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<v Speaker 1>both physical and psychological and can present really differently in

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<v Speaker 1>different people. Here's how it works, Hey brain Stuff, Lauren

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<v Speaker 1>Vogel bam here. If you're anything like me and you

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<v Speaker 1>were to keep track of some of your thoughts during

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<v Speaker 1>a given day, Gosh, I'm hungry would appear on the

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<v Speaker 1>list a few times, along with perhaps why am I

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<v Speaker 1>keeping track of my thoughts? But why do we often

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<v Speaker 1>feel hungry? Let's be clear, we're not talking about actual

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<v Speaker 1>starvation or hunger as a pervasive global and social issue,

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<v Speaker 1>which it is and is a whole other episode or seven.

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<v Speaker 1>We're talking about hunger in typically healthy people with comfortable

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<v Speaker 1>access to food. The hunger that are rises from the

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<v Speaker 1>physiological need for nutrients to survive. Hormones and the nervous

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<v Speaker 1>system regulate hunger and eating habits. But how the heck

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<v Speaker 1>do we recognize when we want to eat even when

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<v Speaker 1>we actually don't need food. We spoke via email with

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<v Speaker 1>Richard Stevenson a professor of psychology at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia,

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<v Speaker 1>where he studies human eating behavior. He says that hunger

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<v Speaker 1>is by no means a universally identifiable sensation. He wrote,

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<v Speaker 1>unlike fulness, which there is no mistaking, hunger is very varied.

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<v Speaker 1>It is not a consistent sensation across people, and it

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<v Speaker 1>has been claimed that feeling stressed can be confused with it.

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<v Speaker 1>Even some of the biological functions that people associate with

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<v Speaker 1>hunger growling stomach, for instance, aren't entirely fool proof cues.

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<v Speaker 1>Stevenson said many people do not report stomach sensations when

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<v Speaker 1>asked to describe what being hungry is like. Indeed, reports

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<v Speaker 1>show that people cite headaches, weakness, mouth watering, and other

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<v Speaker 1>non stomach related sensations as signs of hunger. Stevenson has

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<v Speaker 1>also done research that indicates feelings of hunger and fullness

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<v Speaker 1>are influenced by a myriad of factors, including genetic and

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<v Speaker 1>psychological differences like depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Then there's

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<v Speaker 1>a really big factor. Our environment can easily convince us

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<v Speaker 1>into thinking it's time to eat, whether we're hungry or not.

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<v Speaker 1>Stevenson said that seeing, smelling, or even thinking about food

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<v Speaker 1>will trick us into believing that our stomach is crying

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<v Speaker 1>out for nutrients. He pointed out that this is why

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<v Speaker 1>advertisements for food products work so well, and that affects

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<v Speaker 1>not just appetite, but how much food we actually consume.

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<v Speaker 1>A two thousand nine studies show that both children and

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<v Speaker 1>adults eat more snacks after exposure to food advertising, and

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<v Speaker 1>review found that food ads significantly increase unhealthy food intake

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<v Speaker 1>in children. In fact, researchers coined the term hedonic hunger

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<v Speaker 1>to describe the drive food consumption unrelated to the need

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<v Speaker 1>for calories. This phenomenon might also give us a clue

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<v Speaker 1>to another mystery of hunger. How can we claim ourselves

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<v Speaker 1>ravenous only to find after time passes or a distraction

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<v Speaker 1>interrupts whatever triggered the hunger pang that hunger has passed

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<v Speaker 1>us by. Stevenson says this waning hunger could be related

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<v Speaker 1>to the idea that our appetite isn't always activated by

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<v Speaker 1>an actual need for calories, and that quote time is

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<v Speaker 1>a potent queue to eat. If you usually eat at

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<v Speaker 1>midday and you miss this, you will feel hungry if

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<v Speaker 1>you notice the time. So what's the trick to deciding

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<v Speaker 1>whether you're truly hungry? Is there a scientific method for

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<v Speaker 1>being able to push away at bowl of chips that

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<v Speaker 1>you don't need? Stevenson said in a word, no. Most

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<v Speaker 1>of our biological machinery is geared to make us eat

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<v Speaker 1>when we see food or things that remind us of food,

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<v Speaker 1>which was terrific for our ancient ancestors when humans had

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<v Speaker 1>to spend a lot of time searching for energy sources.

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<v Speaker 1>But it might leave us at a disadvantage when surrounded

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<v Speaker 1>by a huge spread of snacks right after a filling meal.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article why we feel

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<v Speaker 1>hungry even when we're not on how stuff works dot com,

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<v Speaker 1>written by Kate Kirshner. Brain Stuff is production of by

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<v Speaker 1>Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's produced by Tyler Clay. Or more podcasts my

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or

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<v Speaker 1>wherever you listen to your favorite shows.