How Do Food Photos Affect Us?

Author: Leticia Celentano Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

Just one look at a piece of cake or chocolate is enough to trigger brain impulses.

Viewing photos of sweet foods and treats can cause a feeling of hunger.

Just one look at a piece of cake or chocolate is enough to trigger brain impulses responsible for increased appetite and hunger, experts say.

By scanning the brain, a group of scientists found that people who admire photos of treats have an enhanced function in the brain center responsible for controlling appetite, pleasure and reward.

A similar study was conducted on people with drug addiction who were shown anti-drug advertising campaigns. The research team found that the same brain center for pleasure and appetite was reactivated, but not to food.

It is believed that the findings of scientific work may find application in the treatment of drug addiction and obesity.

Restricted viewing of advertisements and magazines with pictures and photos of high-calorie foods can also reduce appetite and, consequently, have a positive effect on the figure, especially among adolescents, experts say.

Previous research on the subject has shown that levels of the hormone ghrelin, which controls appetite, also increase when looking at pictures of appetizing food.

The effect of hormonal changes is so powerful that a photo can stimulate us to eat a piece of cake almost immediately after a hearty breakfast.

How Do Food Photos Affect Us?

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