After all, looking at unhealthy food may not leave us with cravings — but partially satisfy us and help avoid “cheating.”
A new investigation, in the Computers in Human Behaviorpoints out a simple way to help reduce the desire to consume unhealthy food.
Research suggests that simply looking at images or videos of high-calorie foods can mitigate the urge to eat them, especially among people who are dieting or trying to restrict their eating.
At first, the idea seems to go against common sense. For those trying to avoid unhealthy foods, seeing photos of hamburgers, desserts or snacks is often perceived as a dangerous and even irritating stimulus. But, according to the study, in certain circumstances, visual stimulation can in itself produce a form of satisfaction.
According to , the phenomenon is explained by the concept of “cross-modal satiety”according to which the sight of a food can, in itself, partially reduce the appetite for that same product. In other words, the brain obtains some degree of reward just by observing food, even without it actually being ingested.
Researchers analyzed the reactions of individuals exposed to food videos on the Internet, distinguishing between healthy foods and higher-calorie options. The results showed that the people on a diet tended to click more frequently on content with less healthy foods and spending more time seeing them.
While this may seem like counterproductive behavior, the team concluded that trying to suppress thoughts about desirable food can actually reinforce those cravings. On the other hand, when this desire is channeled through watching images or videos, the impulse to consume food may decrease.
In a controlled environment, participants instructed to suppress thoughts about desserts and who ended up viewing more content related to fatty foods consumed less chocolate when given that possibility. Furthermore, they reported feeling less hungrywhich suggests that visual exposure was sufficient to reduce the intensity of the desire.
The researchers point out, however, that the effect did not occur in the same way with healthy foods or in all participants. The impact was most evident among people who were actively restricting their food intake, especially those who were more likely to mentally push away food-related thoughts.
Still, it is important to emphasize that the study has important limitations. The analysis only focused on the short term, focused mainly on chocolate consumption and involved mostly young participants, in artificial laboratory conditions.
