The reward mechanisms that control cravings are very similar to the ones in addiction. “We think that cravings for drugs and food (particularly so-called ‘hedonic foods’ that are high-fat, high-sugar) are very similar,” says Natalia Lawrence, senior lecturer in translational medicine at the University of Exeter.
Posts by Dinsa Sachan
How Magicians Use Illusions To Fool Your Brain
Clad in a tuxedo, the tall and bearded conjurer tosses the ball up. Once, twice, thrice — voilà! The ball disappears midflight. You’re absolutely sure that your gaze didn’t waver from it, so where did the ball go? Of course, it didn’t actually disappear forever
Could Gossip Actually Be Good For You?
Do you think that a bunch of colleagues chirping away at the water cooler are merely gossipers wiling their time away? You’d rather focus on the memo you have to turn in by the end of the day, wouldn’t you? Perhaps you should think again. By avoiding gossip, you could be missing out
More, Please: Why We Crave Comfort Foods
It’s tricky to distinguish cravings from real hunger. “There is not too much real difference metabolically; cravings do create some of the same metabolic hunger signals as real hunger,” says Susan Roberts, professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University
Your Brain’s Natural Rhythms: A Q&A with Neuroscientist Jessica Grahn
Why does music make us want to move? Why don’t ordinary sounds we hear in everyday life have the same effect on us? Scientists are now beginning to explore some of these questions. Brain World spoke to cognitive scientist Jessica Grahn on what neuroscience has unravelled about music’s effects on the brain
Happiness Economics: Does Wealth Provide Happiness?
Whether money can buy happiness has been a hotly debated topic among economists for decades. While a section says rich people are in general happier than the poor, the others reckon that economic growth hardly results in long-lasting happiness. Turns out, neither is completely true.
How Neuroscience is Impacting Disaster Management Strategy
Life-threatening situations, like the ones created by natural calamities, can test even the bravest among us. How fear impacts the brain has emerged as an important area of study for neuroscientists and psychologists. When the brain detects imminent danger, it responds in a fairly standard manner. “Generally, the brain
Leather, Whips, Kink, Relationships (and the Brain): A Look Into the BDSM Lifestyle
Mea Jenkins, a public relations professional based in Los Angeles, was first introduced to BDSM by a man she found through an online dating service. Jenkins, a divorced mother of two, was extremely skeptical of this strange new culture at first, but as he and his friends welcomed her in, she eventually decided to give kink a try.