In a world where the link between food and mood has been so well-charted, one surprising new study throws up an intriguing twist-the relationship between hunger and love. Picture this-what if a romantic dinner date wasn’t just about the candlelight and conversation but about how a full stomach might heighten romantic feelings. According to a recent study published in the journal Appetite, women’s brains respond more positively to romantic cues after they have eaten. This is one of those pieces of research that has sent shockwaves throughout the scientific world and beyond.
The study investigated how hunger affects women’s reactions to romantic stimuli. The researchers, led by Dr. Alice Ely from Drexel University, employed brain imaging in studying women in both the fasted and fed states. The subjects were exposed to cues for romance through evocative images and compelling stories. In fact, the methodology was relatively straightforward, yet insightful: subjects underwent functional MRI scans after they fasted and after ingesting a 500-calorie meal replacement.
As it were, the romantic cues had significantly more strongly activated the neural responses among women who had eaten compared with their hungry counterparts. More precisely, the brain regions associated with reward processing lit up far more brightly in the satiated participants. These regions of the brain are responsible for releasing oxytocin, sometimes referred to as the “love hormone” for the bonding and attachment feelings it evokes.
Interestingly, this effect was to prove particularly striking among women with a history of dieting-a finding perhaps indicative of a peculiar interaction between past dietary habits and emotional susceptibility.
In his pilot study, Dr. Ely disclosed a curious contrast to most of the existing research that shows that hunger heightens sensitivity to rewards such as food and money. Instead, in this case, once the nutritional needs were met, the persons were more attuned to other rewarding experiences, including romantic ones. Such nuance accentuates the different ways in which physiological states may, in particular, guide or bias emotional and cognitive responses associated with hunger and satiety.
These findings have far-reaching implications that go beyond the laboratory. Knowing how feelings of hunger and fullness impact romantic attraction can broaden one’s perspective on the dynamics of a relationship. For example, meal planning can be channeled into times of romance or socializing to create more emotional intimacy. This study underlines the importance of physiological factors in our everyday lives, showing that emotions and physical states are more intertwined than we might think.
Only consider the real-life possibilities that have a dinner before the big date give rise to deeper romantic chemistry, whereas neglected meals can inadvertently flatten reactions. Monitoring hunger levels as a surprising insight could turn out valuable for those struggling relationships. Marriage counselors, take note, along with their matchmaking/dating coaches, that by reinforcing shared meals into common advice, they secure much in common between newly minting families and friends, who enjoy similar company across every life aspect.
As might be expected, it has been a study gaining public and media attention-one that has the general populace debating the way in which food relates to romance. “Headlines point to the possible implications this may have for dating practices and couples’ therapy, jokingly citing that “the way to the heart really is through the stomach.”
The results, though sounding impressive, are nevertheless limited by an overall sample size of only 20 young, normal-weight women; further research will be required for exploration of such dynamics, with the authors recognizing, therefore, the need for any investigation of this nature. Moreover, a broader demographic base may allow a variety in the type of dynamics: whether or not the aforementioned pattern holds good in male participants or subjects from dissimilar physiological and cultural environments.
This research runs counter to previous views that the state of hunger enhances one’s sensitivity to reward. Whereas the state of hunger often narrows an individual’s attention to so-called immediate needs-for instance, food or money-state satiety is associated with a broader emotional receptivity. Such findings might have extensive consequences for understanding human behavior-and the delicate balance between physical and emotional states. On one fundamental level, research will tell you that your body and your emotions are closely linked.
