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

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, brain Stuff,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>actual 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 arises from the physiological

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

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

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>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 fullness, 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 a growling stomach, for instance, aren't entirely full proof cues.

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<v Speaker 1>Stephenson 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, mouthwatering, and other non

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<v Speaker 1>stomach related sensations as signs of hunger. Stephenson has also

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

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>really big fact our environment can easily convince us into

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<v Speaker 1>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 showed 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>a review found that food adds significantly increase unhealthy food

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>the need for calories. This phenomenon might also give us

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<v Speaker 1>a clue to another mystery of hunger. How can we

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<v Speaker 1>claim ourselves ravenous only to find after time passes or

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<v Speaker 1>a distraction interrupts whatever triggered the hunger, paying that hunger

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<v Speaker 1>has passed us by. Stevenson says this waning hunger could

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<v Speaker 1>be related to the idea that our appetite isn't always

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<v Speaker 1>activated by an actual need for calories, and that quote

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

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<v Speaker 1>eat at midday and you miss this, you will feel

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<v Speaker 1>hungry if you notice the time. So what's the trick

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

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<v Speaker 1>method for being able to push away that bowl of

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

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>of food, which was terrific for our ancient ancestors when

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<v Speaker 1>humans had to spend a lot of time searching for

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<v Speaker 1>energy sources, but it might leave us at a disadvantage

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<v Speaker 1>when surrounded by a huge spread of snacks right after

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<v Speaker 1>a filling meal. Today's episode was written by Kate Kirshner

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<v Speaker 1>and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this and

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<v Speaker 1>lots of other filling topics, visit our home planet, how

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<v Speaker 1>stuff Works dot com. M