Many people find themselves binging on cookies or reaching for big bags of potato chips when they’re feeling sad, bored, or even just tired. However, overeating can be confusing—you might tell yourself you’re going to stop and yet find it incredibly difficult.
In this two-minute AsapSCIENCE video, you’ll learn more about how overeating actually works, and what’s going on in your mind and body when you raid the kitchen cupboard.
In particular, it turns out that there are good reasons why it’s so difficult to stop eating so many fatty and sugary foods. It’s all about how certain hormones trigger neurotransmitters associated with appetite, and how other chemicals are released by stomach and fat cells when it’s time to stop eating.
This simple and effective system can’t work as well as it should, however—in part because of our caveman roots. While our real needs have changed, our bodies still remember the hunter and gatherer days, and—as you’ll find out—it’s therefore incredibly hard to turn down energy-rich food.
At the end of the video, your new understanding of how and why you overeat may just help you develop more self-control when it comes to chowing down on cakes and fries. You’ll be more aware of how your body is malfunctioning, and better able to override your internal signals by reasoning your way to an appreciation of what you need and don’t need.
