2023-05-01 10:25:54
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[EN VIDÉO] Our second brain responsible for obesity? Raphaël Moriez, neurobiologist at the University of Nantes, explains the link he has just discovered with…
Smartphone, television, tablet, game consoles, social networks, Internet… Screens have invaded our lives. This is a problem, because the links between their use and overweight or obesity are now clearly demonstrated by scientific research, both in children and in adults.
Today, nearly one in two French people is overweight or obese, which constitutes a major concern in terms of public health, because this state promotes the development of diabetes, cancers or cardiovascular problems, pathologies which are responsible for thousands of premature deaths each year. In addition, obesity is associated with anxiety-depressive disorders, and therefore with a certain discomfort on a daily basis. From an economic point of view, its cost is considerable: approximately 20 billion euros per year.
This problem is all the more marked as the time spent looking at screens continues to increase, especially among young people, and has become the first human activity, apart from sleep. How do the links between screens and weight gain operate? Four mechanisms have been identified.
Screens encourage snacking and overeating
The more children and teenagers watch screens, the more they consume products of poor nutritional quality (sweets, cakes, fast food, sugary drinks, salty snacks, etc.), without necessarily being hungry. Result: the energy intake they store is too high. Moreover, the young people concerned consume insufficient quantities of fruits and vegetables. This is indeed an influence of screens, since when children and adolescents are asked to use them less, the number of calories they ingest decreases, as does their overweight.
In addition, many adults have lunch or dinner in front of a screen, smartphone or television in mind. Our attention, captivated by images and sounds, is no longer directed to our sensations linked to the act of eating. Satiety, which should normally make us stop eating when it occurs, is no longer perceived. Consequence: the quantities ingested increase on average by 25%! One solution to remedy this situation would be to better direct one’s attention to the act of eating. Indulge in it slowly, mindfully, in conviviality and without a screen.
Screens cause sedentary lifestyle
Screens are used most often in a seated and static position, undeniably increasing sedentary lifestyles. Admittedly, energy expenditure differs according to the content and the activities carried out. For example, watching TV uses less energy than playing video games. But whatever the case, a vicious circle sets in. The more we watch the screens, the more we are sedentary, the more we gain weight, the more it is difficult to move and the more we stay in front of our screens…
Does increasing time spent on screens decrease time spent on physical activity, especially among children and adolescents? The question is not completely settled. If we observe a negative correlation between exposure to screens and the practice of moderate or vigorous physical activity, the causal link has not yet been clearly established. Researchers asked young people to reduce their screen time: they found only a small increase in their physical activity. Other research must however be carried out to better ensure the link of cause and effect.
Let’s not forget that a sedentary lifestyle must be distinguished from physical activity. You can do a lot of physical activity, for example on weekends, and be sedentary the rest of the time. For your health, it is therefore recommended to act on both. First, to get up and walk at least a few minutes following sitting for two hours. Second, to practice at least 30 minutes of dynamic physical activity per day. Walking briskly, for example, is fine.
The harmful effects of junk food
On children and adolescents, food is truly “effective”: it causes better evaluations of advertised brands, which would then be preferred to others. It also has effects on effective eating behaviors in favor of these brands. However, many advertisements concern foods and drinks of poor nutritional quality.
Moreover, it would seem that an advertisement for the products of a given brand also increases the demand for the whole category of food or drink concerned. For example, an ad for a candy brand would sell more candy, all brands. The problem has increased in recent years at two levels
Firstly, we note an intensive development of the digital means of communication to which children and adolescents are particularly exposed: advertisements on the Internet, on mobiles (such as free online music platforms) and on social networks, video games specifically by brands (advergames), insertion of brands in video games usually played by young people ( called ” in-game »for example in the famous Fifa football simulation)… Recent scientific work shows that adolescents and young adults are more influenced by digital marketing techniques than by those of more traditional marketing.
“Increasingly frequent, commercial persuasion techniques act on consumers at a little or unconscious level”
Secondly, we note the increasingly frequent use of commercial persuasion techniques that act on consumers at a low or unconscious level, more specifically on memory and so-called “implicit” attitudes. Thus, banner advertisements on the Internet cause favorable effects on the attitude towards the brand, without even being seen. consciously on the screen. A brand’s digital message, barely glimpsed and immediately forgotten, leaves traces favorable to the brand, which remains present in implicit memory for at least three months following exposure. The development of neuromarketing aims to increase this type of impact, located below the threshold of awareness.
Neuroscience to sell more
Neuromarketing is the use of neuroscience and cognitive science by brands to improve their marketing and communication strategies. These persuasive practices used to sell more reduce consumer freedom even more when they concern food and drink products. Indeed, the latter relate to the biological needs of the human being that it is easy to “manipulate”, in an almost subliminal way, without his being aware of it, in particular by techniques of evaluative conditioning.
Many food advertisements aim to generate positive emotions in children, as in older ones, in order to disrupt, in favor of the brand, the process of rational choice of products. Such advertisements “artificially” surround the brand with an unreal emotional imagination, symbols of “freedom” or social success that no longer have any connection with the functional characteristics of the product. This is the case, for example, of the association of the brand with characters, fictitious or real, such as celebrities (athletes praising a brand of drinks or chocolate bars) or amusing mascots (tiger, lion, etc. on the packets of breakfast cereal).
These problems do not only concern young people, but also adults. One solution would be to regulate all types of for food products, by making it compulsory to display the NutriScore, this five-colour nutritional logo informing consumers regarding the nutritional quality of food, classified from A to E. Better informed, French people might probably make better choices in their purchases. This would also encourage food industries to produce products that are less fatty, less salty and less sweet. If the deputies recently came out in favor of such a law, the ball is now in the court of the senators who must, we hope, ratify it in turn.
Evening screen and lack of sleep
The hyperconnected would lose sleep time, nearly 2 hours per night. Their sleep would also be of poorer quality and they would suffer more from insomnia. Two factors would come into play.
First, the presence of blue light emitted by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on screens viewed closely is interpreted by the brain as daylight. This keeps him awake and reduces the secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone. The moment of falling asleep is delayed. Secondly, the excitement caused by the videos or messages viewed in the evening also interferes with falling asleep. For example, when people, teenagers or adults, are very emotionally invested in social media, they sometimes feel upset when they are disconnected. They have trouble relaxing at bedtime, victims of FOMO (fear of missing out), this fear of missing a new message or interesting content.
But bad or insufficient sleep increases the risk of being overweight, in addition to causing other problems, related for example to poor concentration and memorization during the day. Sleep time is precious. It is therefore best to disconnect from screens one to two hours before going to bed. Ultimately, for children, teenagers and even for adults, a good rule to acquire as soon as possible: no mobile connected, no screen in the room!
More generally, it may be good to reread the advice on the proper use of screens, in particular with regard to the education of the youngest. And to devote more time to off-screen activities.
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