A study, published in Nature Human Behavior , explains why we sometimes do not control ourselves when we are faced with unhealthy food, that is, junk food or junk food. The answer seems to be related to our brain, which processes faster if a food is tasty rather than healthy.
Why do we always prefer junk food? A study reveals the reason
The study researchers asked 79 adults to choose between different foods , some of which were healthy and some of which were not, to understand how our minds make decisions about what foods to eat and buy . Each subject had to choose between different foods at least 300 times.
The study, led by Dr Sullivan of the London School of Economics and prof. Huettel of Duke University found that it takes our brains half the time to decide how tasty a food is compared to the time it takes to determine whether or not it is healthy.
The results show that we should spend much more time choosing what food to order when we go to a restaurant and we should not feel rushed by waiters, but rather we should make careful preference. Dr Sullivan explained: ‘ Our data suggest that it is often not our fault if we choose unhealthy foods: our brains are simply slower in processing one piece of information than another, and in this case, the taste of it. a certain food is the first thing our brain thinks about ».
“ This means that we may be eating a cookie, not because the desire for a tasty snack overwhelms our limited willpower, but because information about the health consequences of consuming that food does not enter our decision-making process sufficiently. early to affect our decisions. In fact, we may be done eating the cookie before our brains realize how unhealthy it can be, ”added Dr. Sullivan.
Thus, the research offers insight into how critical thinking can be manipulated to consider healthy choices in the same way that we think about taste. In fact, if more time is given to reflect on what foods to order or buy, and at the same time also gives clear information about how much a certain food is healthier than another, our brain will more easily process the information about how healthy the food is. food to choose.
