Last week, my wife and our friend treated me to a sumptuous dinner at home. I enjoyed the meal, but overate and felt rather uncomfortable after dinner! Yet, I am sure that I will not stop overeating, even if I do it occasionally. And if you are like me, you would behave much the same way. Why do we indulge?
Classical economics tells us that our consumption follows the principle of diminishing marginal utility. Simply put, this means that you will stop with two ice-creams, or perhaps three, even if you fancy the dessert. This is because your craving for ice-cream is expected to diminish with each bite. Yet, behavioural economists have shown that we tend to eat even if we are satiated. Why?
Our desire to eat is triggered by what scientists call as “palatable food”. By palatable food, they mean food that has salt, sugar and fat, enough to make it tasty and unhealthy! Such food, unfortunately, stimulates our appetite. And it is the anticipation of such stimulation that prompts us to consume more quantity than we need to satisfy our hunger. How?
The presence of “palatable food” releases dopamine- a chemical substance secreted in our brain that acts as the brain’s reward pathway. That is, if you are excited about consuming that melting chocolate-cake that you just saw at the cake shop, it is because of the dopamine secretion in your brain. Thus, the presence of “palatable food” and the resultant dopamine secretion prompts us to eat beyond our need to satisfy our hunger.
But the question is: Why do we indulge, even if we know it could cause us health-related problems in the future? All our decisions are based on a trade-off between pain and pleasure. Eating high-calorie food gives us pleasure now. Whereas the pain from eating such food- health-related problems and health costs- is typically felt in the distant future. And because we cannot simulate the pain that we may likely face in the future, we indulge today.
And then there is stress-related eating. Research has shown that some people tend to eat high-calorie food when they are stressed. The reason? Such food helps them counteract stress. Psychologists, hence, call high-calorie food as the “comfort” food!
It seems that we are fighting a losing battle against our psychological-self when it comes to eating right portions and healthy food. Psychologists suggest that we simulate the experience of having our favourite food in our mind. This process, according to them, is likely to reduce our actual consumption of “palatable food”. Try the exercise, if you think it will work. Happy healthy eating!
(The author is the founder of Navera Consulting. He can be reached at enhancek@gmail.com )