How Looking at Food Pictures Can Help You Lose Weight: The Grounded Cognition Theory

2023-06-11 20:01:00

Often an image of food arouses hunger. But according to Danish researchers, observing the same photo, several times, would have the opposite effect and give the impression of being full. A technique that might be used to lose weight.

Being satisfied without eating anything! While the idea may sound strange, scientists from Aarhus University (Denmark) reveal why it’s plausible and how it might be used for weight loss. In fact, according to them, this is quite natural. “How we think regarding our food is very important,” they explain. “Our appetite is more closely linked to our cognitive perception than we think.”

grounded cognition theory

So much for the theory. But how to put it into practice? The researchers recruited 1,000 participants and showed them a picture of orange M&M’s. Some have seen the image three times, others 30 times. “We observed that when participants viewed the same food image 30 times, they felt fuller than before seeing the image.”

This comes as no surprise to Tjark Andersen, the main author of this work. According to him, in this case, “you receive a physiological response to something that you have only been thinking regarding. That is why we can feel full without eating anything. This is called grounded cognition theory. For example, if you imagine putting your teeth into a juicy apple, the same areas of the brain will be stimulated as if you were actually biting into an apple. “

A technique to lose weight

Since the 1970s, the number of overweight or obese people has steadily increased worldwide. That’s where Tjark Andersen’s results come in. While he acknowledges that the internet and social media can be a contributing factor to overweight, he hopes they might help with weight loss: “Imagine a food ordering app. You are looking for a pizza. You open the app “And while you’re making your choice, lots of pictures of pizza pop up while you imagine yourself eating it. That way, you might get a feeling of satiety and maybe just stop wanting your pizza,” says he.

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