The Science of Willpower

Secrets for self-control without suffering.

by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D.

Why Everything Tastes Better in Your Favorite Cafe

Just being in a café primes the brain to pick up another cookie.

Published on January 20, 2012 by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. in The Science of Willpower

I was browsing the latest issue of the journal Nutritional Neuroscience and came across this gem of a study, conducted by researchers at Kanazawa Medical University in Japan.

Researchers created two very different virtual reality experiences using something called a "Body Sonic Chair." 1) A tearoom complete with cozy décor and classical music, and 2) a construction site, complete with construction images and noise.

Participants then ate cookies, tea, and coffee in both environments. EEG recordings measured the participants' brain activity as they ate.

Perhaps not surprisingly, participants rated the same sweets as more delicious when consumed in the tearoom than the construction site. But the finding that struck me was related to brain activity. There was more activity consistent with sensorimotor processing -- e.g., preparing for body movement -- in the tearoom than the construction site. The researchers write:

"One possible interpretation is that the tearoom context may trigger a predisposition to food intake [and] activate sensorimotor networks involved in preparation to eating-related movements. The more participants felt the food to be delicious, the more these movements were facilitated."

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So being in a café setting make food taste better and primes the brain to pick up another cookie and put it in your mouth. Yes, this is the very definition of a lightweight study, but I find it charming none-the-less. It helps explain why I love going to Voodoo Doughnuts more than bringing a doughnut home. And who knows, perhaps someday soon there will be a virtual-reality app for dieters that automatically creates construction noise anytime you encounter temptation.

Kelly McGonigal is a psychologist at Stanford University. Her latest book is The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It.

Study:

Yoshimura H, Honjo M, Sugai T et al. (2011). Influences of audio-visual environments on feelings of deliciousness during having sweet foods: An electroencephalogram frequency analysis study. Nutritional Neuroscience, 14, 210-215.