Is Food Happiness or Pleasure?...The Biochemical Truth
- C Morales
- May 1, 2016
- 2 min read
Happiness v. Pleasure:
There is a major difference between HAPPINESS and PLEASURE. There is something called the Pleasure Center in the brain, and it's a circuit, designed to reinforce our desire for Girl Scout Cookies, and hamburgers and fries and encourage us to seek out these things over and over. This part of your brain is what makes food so desirable, sex so enjoyable, and starving and working hard more difficult.
Your Brain on Dessert:
There are certain buzzwords that if you've ever had interest in neuro-anything you should know: amygdala (regulates emotions), nucleus accumbens (controls release dopamine), and the pituitary gland (releases endorphins which decrease pain, and oxytocin which increases trust and bonding feelings).
Is happiness a piece of cake? No. Is pleasure a piece of cake? Absolutely. When you eat cake those reward centers in your brain fire and it makes you want to do it again and again. When you are happy, feelings of contentment surround you and a lot of times, it doesn't even involve food. Don't let temporary pleasure keep you from meeting your summer fitness goals!
What does happiness mean to you? If you really think about it, do you know the difference? Are there times you've been a starving college student, but you look back on and know you are happy?
Check these great resources out to learn more:
The Neuroscience of Happiness, Aspen Ideas Festival Transcript
http://www.aspenideas.org/session/new-neuroscience-happiness#
The Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 23, Issue 27, October 8, 2003. http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/full/23/27/9185
Let me know what you think about this and if you've figured out the difference in your eating habits.
Also, if you still love those yummy treats and fatty burgers, stay tuned for some amazing recipes I have "cooking" for you. Healthy, but still yummy treats and how to eat your favorite burger without jeopardizing your fitness goals.
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