The Motivational Donut
by Peter
Why can’t you keep yourself from running into the donut store or up to your friend and getting a donut from them? Or how the smell of your favorite pastry just makes you eat it, even though you know you should not? Don’t worry, it’s not your lack of self-control; it’s your brain.
Research from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine shows that a certain stimulus makes your brain react in different ways, thus causing you to eat a pastry that you other wise would not eat. The experiment performed at the University tested the hypothesis that your body will make you react to specific stimuli. One group of people gorged themselves on up to eight Krispy Kremes donuts until they could eat no more, while another group fasted for up to eight hours. When the people that binged on donuts were showed the picture of the donut their brains were not registering much interest in the donuts. On the other hand, when the people that fasted were showed the picture of the donut, two parts of their brain spiked with interest.
The Limbic Brain and the Spatial Attention Network both arose with interest when the subjects saw the picture. The Limbic Brain is the part of the brain that is able to detect what motivates you. “It says, not only am I hungry, but here is food,” said senior author Marsel Mesulam, M.D. The Spatial Attention Network changed the focus to the desired object, the donut. “If we didn’t have this part of the brain, every time you passed by a bakery you would have no control over your eating,” explained Mesulam. “If your nerve cells fired every time you smelled something edible, then you’d eat all the time, not just when you’re hungry.”
I hope you don’t get too mad at yourself next time you have an irresistible urge or craving for your pastry. Based on the experiment, what would you suggest is the best approach to be able to eat your favorite pastry and still keep from gorging on it?
April 1st, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Sometimes when people have donuts at school, and I have just eaten breakfast, i still want a donut. Now I know its because of the stimulus in the brain that makes me react.
This post relates exactly to what we have been talking about in class today about how the stimulus causes your brain to react in certain ways; in this case it cause you to crave a donut. what I still don’t understand is how the stimulus wouldn’t keep people from gorging them down every time someone smelt one? I guess to keep from eating more than one you could just take one at a time instead of eating from the box, and then analyze if your really still hungry after eating that one.
This not only applies to donuts, but also fast food. It can be addictive and it cause people to gorge, which is exactly what the fast food places want.
The link is this article:http://banzhaf.net/docs/newsci.html
April 1st, 2008 at 4:26 pm
That link is:
http://banzhaf.net/docs/newsci.html
April 1st, 2008 at 5:25 pm
This was definitely a surprise to me. I have always thought it was self control that was to blame, and that I simply lacked it. This new knowledge puts a twist on everything I know about eating habits. However, it makes sense that we are created with both the Limbic Brain and the Spatial Attention Network. The Limbic Brain serves the purpose of directing us to food so that we won’t starve. The Spatial Attention Network keeps us from eating too much (using valued energy to digest, not to mention the problems that come with obesity). By eating healthy meals before putting ourselves in situations that have pastries under our noses, the brain would have been signaled that our bodies don’t need any more food. The Spatial Attention Network would allow us not to feel as enticed by the not-so-healthy pastries, but we would probably eat one anyway. The more full you are, the less donuts you’ll end up eating. Cool post Peter!
April 1st, 2008 at 7:56 pm
That is really neat to learn that this happens. It’s really strange to think that if you were to not have this part of your brain you would just eat everything and have no idea if you are hungry or not. I think the best way to eat your favorite pastry and not to eat a ton of them is to set a limit. I think that if you see a pastry shop its ok to go in a have one every once in a while, but we as humans have to learn when to cut ourselves off. I can’t really think of any other way that you could keep yourself from eating a ton of them. One question I have though is… is it possible for different people’s brains to be triggered at different times? Meaning after eating 5 donuts one persons brain does not want anymore, but after another person eats 8 they still want more donuts.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:30 pm
That is amazing! I have always felt that it is a lack of self-control that causes someone to eat, or do, something that they know they shouldn’t because it is unhealthy or not safe. I woild have never thought that your brain would cause you to crave something to the point that you had to have it. In response to your question, I think that the best plan of action to avoid having to gorge on your favorite food while still being able to eat it is to eat in moderation. I think as long as you allow yourself to have the food that you liked in small portions every once in a while then you won’t have as strong an urge to eat a great amount at one time like you would if you hadn’t eaten that particular food in a while and were greatly craving it.
Great post Peter!
April 1st, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Peter that was a great post!! Now two words I did not understand at all were the limbric brain and the Spatial attention network so I researched and found really iteresting answers. the limbric brain is actually not a brain! Its a system within the brain that is located within the cerebrum and it is wideley known as the ‘emotional system”. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/kinser/Structure1.html#limbic
When I looked up spatial attention network I got “How does the human brain integrate information from multiple domains to guide spatial attention according to motivational needs? To address this question, we measured hemodynamic responses to central cues predicting locations of peripheral attentional targets (food or tool images) in a novel covert spatial attention paradigm. The motivational relevance of food-related attentional targets was experimentally manipulated via hunger and satiety. Amygdala, posterior cingulate, locus coeruleus, and substantia nigra showed selective sensitivity to food-related cues when hungry but not when satiated, an effect that did not generalize to tools. Posterior parietal cortex (PPC), including intraparietal sulcus, posterior cingulate, and the orbitofrontal cortex displayed correlations with the speed of attentional shifts that were sensitive not just to motivational state but also to the motivational value of the target. Stronger functional coupling between PPC and posterior cingulate occurred during attentional biasing toward motivationally relevant food targets. These results reveal conjoint limbic and monoaminergic encoding of motivational salience in spatial attention. They emphasize the interactive role of posterior parietal and cingulate cortices in integrating motivational information with spatial attention, a process that is critical for selective allocation of attentional resources in an environment where target position and relevance can change rapidly. ” Now I know these are a ton of words but in other words it is saying how the Spayial Attetion Network and the limbic brain interact by using the senses of your body, your eyes, and your brain so you canget that tasty doughnut!
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
I read this post and I am glad that I it is my brain that is causing my cravings, instead of self control. But as I was reading this post I did not understand some of it, because the post said that the Limbic Brain is the part of the brain that is able to detect what motivates you. The quote “It says, not only am I hungry, but here is food” makes it seem like the brain is always wanted you to eat. But the post also says that if we didn’t have this part of our brain than you wouldn’t have control of your cravings. So this means that the brain tells you when you are full and have eaten enough, so without this part of the brain, then you could never be full. Does this mean that people that are always hungry don’t have the Limbic Brain working?
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:59 pm
I always wondered what compelled the brain to do things regardless of other influences. Its pretty amazing to see the power the brain has. I was wondering, was the Limbic Brain stimulated in the experiment because they were hungry or because it knew that the fasting person liked the donut? i was just wondering if the brain could really have that kind of powerful and specific influence over the body. i think that the best way to control yourself from gorging on things that your brain knows you like is to keep yourself satisfied (hunger-wise). This way when you see something you like you wont be to hungry and your brain wont be too intersted in it.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Well based on the experiment I would say that the best way to keep yourself from overeating your favorite desert is simply to eat three meals a day. The experiment required the subjects to fast for 8 hours. If you ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner than you would have only gone around 5 to 6 hours at the most without food. Because the subjects went so long without eating they were starving for food and almost any food that saw would probably have looked delicious to them. By spacing out your meals you could keep yourself from attacking every food that you saw.
April 5th, 2008 at 10:55 am
great post peter. the answer to stevens question is the people have been fasting so they are hungry. The hunger spiked the interest. If they had been afsting and they were not hungry at the time, the interest would not have been spiked. I think a way to keep yourself from binging on food you love is to get small portions and but the rest away or out of reach at the time. get little bits of everything but of course make sure it is healthy foods too. If the desserts are put far away you will be less tempted to mindlessly eat them, buecause you would have to go get them and, well, you wouldn’t be mindlessly eationg if you had to walk and get something. Also don’t skip meals or eat a very little amount of food because the next time you see food you will be really hungry so you will want to eat everything you see. If you had eaten the right amount of food that wouldn’t happen.
April 5th, 2008 at 11:12 am
This experiment was very interesting to read about!! I’m glad that it is my brain that controls me eating when I get a craving and not my self control (although it is very poor). It is scary to think about how without the Spatial Attention Network we would have no control over our eating. We would just eat and eat if we our nerve cells fired and told us something edible was near, and we wouldn’t stop. That would not only be really unhealthy, but really dangerous and could make us sick. The Limbic Brain is also very important it looks like because it tells us that food is around when we are hungry. Without it we might starve. I’m very glad both of these are functioning properly in my brain; without them I would completely be a mess!!! I think one way to keep from gorging on your favorite cravings is to exercise your self control when you eat them. Tell yourself that you’ll only eat one or two, and then don’t eat anymore, like Caroline said. Another good way is like Katie and Jon said and to eat healthy meals and fill yourself up, so the Limbic brain may tell you here is food, but also you are not hungry so you don’t need to eat it. Another way to keep yourself from stuffing your face is what my mother used to say to me… out of sight, or in this case smell, out of mind. If we don’t see it or smell it, our nerve cells won’t be firing because there is no stimulus and we won’t eat it. Also, if we don’t think about them all the time we are less likely to want to go and get some. Great post Peter!! (by the way, doughnuts are not my hangup, but chocolate chip cookies definitely are)
April 5th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Wow, I never knew that it was a stimulus that caused you to crave pastries. I always thought it was lack self-control that caused you to want to eat sweets and pastries. All of the diet ads and commercials say that it is lack of self-control. If the Limbic Brain motivates you, is there anyway to control it? Such as if a obese person is trying to loose weight, but they are at a buffet and they see a long line of sweets and pastries. Is there a type of medicine that can control the Limbic Brain so it encourages them not to eat it or to ignore it. I would think the best answer to your question is to eat it slowly. If you eat it very fast not only will you have a stomachache but you’ll want more, but if you eat it slowly it will ease your hunger and the longer lasting effect is it helps shrink your stomach some so you can eat less to become full.
April 6th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I was very surprised to read this post; I had no idea that it wasn’t lack of self control that caused you to gorge on your cravings, but, like everything else in your body, the brain controls this. I think that the best way to keep from gorging on your favorite cravings is keeping them out of sight and out of mind. If you don’t think about them, you are less likely to want to go get some, and if you can’t see them or smell them or taste them, there would be no stimulus to fire your nerve cells and you would not feel a strong urge to eat 500 of them. Eating full healthy meals and setting limits to how many you eat is also a good way. Andy also came up with the good idea about eating slowly; that definitely works for me. Alex, I was looking around on the Internet and found out that people don’t always eat because they are hungry. Some people have a food addiction. They have headaches, insomnia, and other symptoms that cease for a short while when they eat, which is why they continue to do so. Also, I think that without the Limbic brain, you would be full, but it wouldn’t be telling you you were so you would continue to eat. Great post Peter; hopefully now I can feel less guilty about my cravings!
April 6th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
That is pretty funny, like everyone else has said, I always thought our choices of food or junk food were simply because we wanted them or were craving them. I had no idea it had so much to do with your brain.
I agree with Andy in answer to your question, eating slowly would make it easier to tell if you are full. Since when you eat it takes a little bit before the signal gets to your brain to stop eating, sometimes people will inhale their food and afterwards have a terrible stomache because they ate way too much way too fast. Also, donuts, pastries or sweets are all fine, it just has to be in moderation.
April 7th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Great post Peter! This was really interesting! In class today, one of our discussion topics was obesity and over weight. I remember Ms. Baker explained to us that these two things are sometimes caused because a person has a sudden craving for something. The body gets a craving because it needs the nutrients for whatever food you are desiring, in this post’s case, a few or more donuts. Since there is a stimulus though, it doesn’t make an excuse for excessively eating something, that you know can possibly be unhealthy for the body and puts you more and more at risk for problems like obesity, or becoming over weight.
April 7th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Personally, I don’t know what the big deal is. First of all noone should ever feel guilty about eating a donut, or anything for that matter. Also, if you don’t want to eat a donut, that eat something else. I peronally like donuts and don’t care whether they are good for you or not. The main point I'’m trying to make is that eating food is something so stupid to feel guilty about. DONT EAT IT IF YOU ARE GOING TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT!!!!
April 7th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
From this experiment i think the best way to avoid cravings is to eat enough at all of your meals like Jon said above. You should eat enough at each meal so that you wont get too hungry and be too temped to eat ‘junk food’ in between your meals. Also since now i know that the brain controls your desires for unhealthy foods another way to keep yourself from giving into your cravings is to avoid situations where there is easy acess to unhealth foods. If there is someone that is trying to watch what they eat then it will be a lot easier to do so if you arn’t seeing a box of donuts everytime you walk by the kitchen. If your having a craving for donuts and there are no donuts in sight then it will be more likley for you to eat something healthier. Good post Peter
April 7th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I agree because diets comercials are always saying that self control is what you need to have a good diet. It may be part of it but knowing that it is really a stimulus I do not feel so bad about eating that last chocolate bar or donut! I also remember there was an add about a pill that prevented hunger messages to the brain which made your apeptite less and therefore lose weight. Since a person has a Limbic Brain how will that pill work at all? I also have to admit that when people are giving out donuts at school I always have the urge to eat it and often end up eating one. Awarding yourself atleast with one desert is not so bad but eating and gorging on it like the people on the experiment is bad for your body. A solution could be thinking about all the bad fats that are in the desert and how much you would be consuming if you were to eat it and about the heart diesease risks in the end. That helps me not gorge!
April 7th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
That is so interesting that our brain is actually the cause of our cravings! This is like the argument we had in class that people are obese because of lack of self-control, but this shows that sometimes it isn’t entirely their fault. I think that we should satisfy our cravings instead of ignoring them, because Ms. Baker said that cravings are a way of our brain telling us that we need a certain nutrient. But if just seeing food, such as a donut, caused a response from the brain, we should keep some self-control over our decisions. Maybe it’s ok to eat one every once in a while, but eating eight, like the people in the experiment, is definitely not healthy. It is ok to satisfy the craving, but we have to be careful to not let it turn into an addiction. After all, food does act like a drug, like we learned in class.
Here is a link to an article that tells how food works as a drug to the obese.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/health/s/224/224625_obese_treat_food_like_a_drug.html
It says that the brain circuits responsible for over-eating are the same involved in drug addiction. I think this is very dangerous considering that obesity is one of the largest cause of death in the United States. This is tragic, especially since this is preventable, just as death from smoking is.
Great job Peter!
April 8th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Donuts are my absolute weakness. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to eat several donuts every once in awhile? I’m so happy to know that it is actually my brain that makes we want them so badly. Like everyone else, it seems, I too had thought people at so many sweet things because they lacked self control. I will admit, I do lack many levels of self control, especially when donuts are involved. I liked the article Amanda found, it provided some good links between the brain and obesity.
I think now, after I read this post, I will have a new problem. Now that I know my insatiable donut cravings are a part of my brain and not my self control, I will probably see a donut and tell myself that my brain wants it and that is an excuse to eat one or two of them. I think that your brain and self control can both play a part in eating too many donuts. Your brain tells you that you want a donut (or some other sweet treat) and you satiate that desire, but then your lack of self control can kick in and you keep eating them even after you no longer have an intense desire to eat them.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
I, like many others (I’m certain), have a hard time resisting the smell of a Krispy Kreme donut at one point in their life. They are a food some people may consider “sinful.” I think that without the part of the brain that has those cravings, we would never have any cravings at all, which would lead to our bodies starving themselves of all nutrients without our knowlege. Just like we have been learning in class the past couple of days (April 7 and
the cravings that our bodies expirience are the alerts that tell us when our body needs a particular nutrient. I used the example of vitamin C. Your body may need vitamin C, so it sends out a “craving” telling the body to find vitamin C anywhere it can. You may mistake this need for vitamin C for plain and simple hunger. A person who misjudges their hunger could end up eating a lot of food just because they think that they body’s need for an orange is their body telling them to eat food, which can lead to becoming overweight or even obese. Now I’m not saying that every time that you get a craving for something that is not very healthy (like a donut) that you should eat something else, because sometimes, your body craving that donut could mean that your body needs some other nutrient, like glucose or fiber. I think that passing up a craving can mean you have self control or that you just are in denial. If you are not addicted to food, and you have a particular craving for food, once you have the food that you are craving, you have satisfied your body’s need for the nutrient, etc. But I think that there is always some room for a congradulatory donut every once in a while.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
It is very interesting about the brain. Sometime, i worried about irresistible of food. I already filled with food. But if i saw the food, i want eat the food again. This reason that made me overweight. So, I think that i need more self-control myself. So,many people was over-eating to insufficiency about the self-control. Anyway, i was learned much about my brain of food. At the time i need restriction about the pastry. I think that i need change food kind of vegatable. Then i will be lesser than now my weight. Also, many overweight people will less the weight. But, Maybe diet is not easy. Because, many deliciously food temptlead to people. So, we need more self-control myself. And think you Peter
April 11th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
To me, this is a matter of self control. You must have the self control to limit yourself to your favorite foods, including sweets or pastries. In class this week, we talked about being overweight or obese, and I believe that on some level the reason people become overweight or obese is because they lack the self control to realize they need to be able to stop eating. But, I have heard that some overweight or obese people can be genetically pre-dispositioned to be overweight or obese. But, when it comes to sweets or pastries, I agree with Grant W. Like he said, I think people should consume sweets in moderation so they can remain healthy. Also, I thought it was pretty awesome how your brain actually makes you want gives you enough of a craving where you feel like you must eat that food. Peter or anyone else, I have one question. Is it possible that overweight people are overweight because they crave the unhealthy food more than the average person does? Anyways, sweet post Peter!
April 11th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
connor, i fell you dont understand what this post is getting at. It isnt about whether or not you will feel guilty about eating something (in this case a doughnut) but its is more of why you do. You may not care about eating a doughnut when you arent hungry, but someone else may care about eating it. The point is you both eat it as a response to the same stimulus. I found this post very interesting. Im pretty good when it comes to eating healthy but i sometimes find myself snaking when i know that im not hungry. Im glad to hear that this is a brain response that occurs in everyone. good post peter
April 11th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Cravings can be really hard to beat sometimes. A good way to help is to find something to occupy yourself with until the craving goes away. This way, if you are concentrating on something else, such as having a converstaion with your friend on the phone, you arent concentating on the food. Another thing that some people say works is eat something totally opposite of your craving, like a hot pepper when youre craving chocolate. Sometimes, you jsut have to give in to your cravings, but you should try to atleast limit the amount you eat.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
the link amanda gave was pretty interesting and a little scary. the fact that food is almost exactly like a drug to obese people makes it millions of times harder to quick. I think a major misconception is that people think that food cant be like a drug because drugs are harmful and food is just food. Food can be harmfull when over-eaten, like in 60% of americans’ case. ms baker even said that 1 out of 2 people will die of coronary heart disease which can be linked to obesity so it is harmful sometimes. Thats why i think that keeping people from craving unhealthy foods is very important. The best thing to do is just to stay mildly full on good food so the bad food doesnt look as appealing, like the donuts in the study.
April 13th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Cool post Peter! i agree with Steven in that to avoid eating unhealthy foods , the best thing to do is to stay full on good foods. I think it is also a good idea to eat things in moderation. If people ate the same things they do now, but in smaller sizes, not many people would have wieght problems. Plus, if they ate enough food in small portions they wouldn’t have problems with craving junk food.I think if Americans started eating things in small portions and eating the right foods, we wouldn’t have a problem with obestiy and eating too much food. However, I think the best way to start eating smaller portions is if resturants didn’t offer big portions and, like many resturarnts already do, if they offered healthier foods.
April 13th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I see what you are getting at, steven, but how well do you think people would do trying to stay “mildly” full on healthy foods? Because even if they are mildly full and they know that, they may still have the inevitable craving for junk food cause by the brain. As i said in my above comment, i stay full on healthy foods, but whenever I go to my grandparent’s house they keep a big bowl of oreos out. Even though I know that I am full, I still find myself eating a couple of oreos. Like I said, I see where you are coming from, but i dont see people in this country staying full on HEALTHY foods and resisting snacking on junkfood.
Though sadly, there are cases in which people can become obese without constanly snacking, but because they are less privileged economically. These people may not be able to buy healthy food for their family due to costs and instead they are forced to buy cheap, processed foods that may contain trans fats, and hight levels of carbs and sodium. This is honestly becoming an epidemic, we just need to find a way to fight it.
April 13th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I would say that I think that I have an addiction to Coke(the drink). I drink it all the time. I have at least 4 cans a day. it has become so bad that whenever I am thirsty, I crave Coke instead of water. I have been trying to cut back but its hard to do because I’m so use to drinking it as if it is water. So I think that every person has their own kind of food or drink that they cannot resist and they crave it all the time. Also, people do not always know how much food they are taking in. For example, when you eat while watching TV, you do not realize how much food you are eating or when you are full so you just keep on eating. I read somewhere that it is best when you pay attention to what you are eating and not doing anything else this way, you will know when you are full and stop eating.
April 13th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
This is good to know that when you desire for a certain food it is your brain telling you it needs what the food contains. People will eat something because they have a craving for it but then do not stop eating it. This can be related to other factors such as stress, depression, or other things going on in the persons life. People also tend to eat more because they eat very fast. I am one who eats rather slow, and even though it annoys the people who I am eating with I tend to have less helpings. This is because my body recognizes the food and fills up faster. When you are really hungary your body wants the food now and you eat really fast and then you eat a lot and a lot more than you should have and your body sends you that signal of satisfaction and being “full” later. It will take your body at least four hours to digest a full meal and eating slower allows your body to digest more and take in more nutrients and other essential proteins and sugars from the food while you eat.
April 13th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
That shows that overweight people in the US or anywhere aren’t all to blame for their weight problems! If science can find a way to subdue these cravings then the weight problem in America or the rest of the world could be made so much better! This also poses the question a questino in my mind. If people in all the world have the same neurons and the same brain structure for the most part, then why do Americans have the biggest problem with weight? Why don’t people in other countries have cravings. Of course some countries don’t have the means to afford that much food, but some countries do, such as England, Frace, or even somewhere like Austrailia. Why don’t they have such a huge epidemic with obesity?
April 13th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Well, sweets are rewarding in many ways so it is understandable that we love them so much. However, excessively eating them is not good and that is why so many Americans are overweight. Taste is a very powerful sense and seems hard to control, but treats are good every now and then. Great post peter, no one should feel guilty for enjoying themselves
one sweet that has benefits is dark chocolate. Check out this website, you may be surprised
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20030827/dark-chocolate-is-healthy-chocolate
May 9th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
A way to also help with cravings is to compromise. If you have a strong craving for something sweet, you could eat a healthy sweet that is not as bad for you like granola bars, or fruits that have a sweet taste to them. A great example of a compromising food that is a healthy alternative, and is still nice on the sweet tooth is angel food cake. It is not as fatty as regular cake, and is more beneficial healthwise.