The Reason Why You Snack When You're Bored

When I’ve done with my work stuff and only have the easy tasks left, I find myself walking to the kitchen and looking for snacks. Not surprised, you do it too: Eating your way out of the spare time is to be pretty common.

Our brains crave stimulation, it’s fact and eating is one of the most powerful stimuli for the humans.“When you’re bored, you’re not being stimulated.” Add some food to the equation and voilá: instant satisfaction. That satisfaction is even greater if you eat junk food. “Not all food is equally rewarding,” Guyenet says, the author of The Hungry Brain.

Nutrients like carbs—especially from sugar and starch—fat, protein, glutamate, and salt can stimulate the brain to release the dopamine more than, say, raw celery. That dopamine forces us to eat more—and makes us crave that food again.

Plus, snack foods are methodically designed to satisfy the brain by using sensations like crunch, melt-point, and others to keep you eating. “There are certainly theories that some foods are designed to blow us in, with the perfect flavor and texture combinations that our brains just can’t resist,” says Heather Kaplan, a Washington, DC-based dietitian and host of the RD Real Talk podcast.

Basically, your actual hunger levels are subjective. There may be biological and genetic components, says Aaron Mercer, a Seattle-based obesity researcher. Your melanocortin system in your brain helps tell you when to stop eating, Mercer says, but some people’s melanocortin pathways don’t function properly. And some people don’t produce as much leptin, a hormone that tells the melanocortin pathway that the body is full. If you have less leptin, you’re going to feel hungry, even if you aren’t really in need of food.

That’s the explanation why some of us struggle more with overeating while others never even seem to be tempted. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can easily say, “My brain makes me do this” as you eating a big-sized bag of Chips. Still, we have some ability to control what we do. Even though it may take some extra trying.

Name  : Nisa Kusumastuti

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