An aspect that undoubtedly defines us as a species since the origin of our times is hunger, eating and the vast way in which this behavior has evolved and developed. From hunting, fishing and gathering to the global popularization of fast food chains, hunger moves the world. And all people, in different ways, experience it and develop responses based on it in our daily lives.
In recent times, interest in investigating hunger from different and diverse approaches has grown. Theorists from a multitude of different disciplines have highlighted the need to study hunger not merely as a physiological response to the lack of food or need for energy, but also as a psychological behavior and influenced by a whole network of social and personal factors. and situational, among others.
Thus, this article is proposed as a review of the concept of hunger and seeking to answer the main question: Why do we eat without being hungry? This question arises giving value to the idea that hunger cannot be understood simply as a biological phenomenon; Psychology, society and personality also come into play, and we don’t always eat out of hunger; Ingestion is a multifactorial behavior.
Surely at some point in your life you have eaten without hunger. Imagine a family dinner in which, five minutes into the meal and practically just by seeing the table so full of food, it already seems like you’ve had your fill. Still, you have continued eating; because everything is so good that you can’t stop, because you don’t want to waste a single crumb or because your grandmother would finish you off if you reject a single gram of food.
Imagining this situation, it is easy to realize that we eat without hunger in our daily lives and even in everyday ways. Eating is also a social act; Go out to have a coffee with your classmates, order a tapa of bravas while you drink this beer or eat an ice cream on the way home because your friend was doing it and you are getting hungry. Eating without hunger is not an isolated phenomenon, and research has also determined that It is not influenced by age, gender or socioeconomic group; It is a trend that can affect anyone
However, eating without hunger does not only have to do with life in society. Another of the most determining factors for this behavior is the complex relationship between emotions and food. Many people, when they experience intense emotions, whether positive or negative, tend to eat without hunger to deal with pain, seek comfort, feel better, or simply look for something to do.
Furthermore, the ubiquity of highly processed and tempting foods in our everyday environment also plays an important role. Advertising, marketing, and the constant availability of snacks and fast foods can influence our eating decisions unconsciously, leading us to eat without physical necessity.
Physiology of hunger
To understand hunger, eating, and why it is so common to do so without being hungry, it is important to divide the explanations into two parts: physiology and psychology. We will begin by understanding the physiology of hunger, understanding the way in which hunger has been classically defined, generally linked to the lack of food or the need for body energy.
1. Homeostatic Theory
The first explanations of hunger originate with the research of Claude Bernard in the 19th century into the means that balance cellular environments These gave rise to the homeostasis proposed by Cannon, grouping all the physiological mechanisms that regulate the internal and external variations of every biological element. Hunger, therefore, can be understood as part of this internal – external regulation system between different internal and physiological bodies.
2. The trophic reflex
Already in the 20th century, Turró proposed the trophic reflex as the mechanism by which our bodies detect the need to access food. Moving away from the explanations that placed the origin of hunger in the stomach, proposed its origin in the need to repair energy losses in the body Basically, he defined hunger as the need to repair the body’s energy losses guided by the trophic reflex, a neurological mechanism that perceives the need for food.
3. Central theory of hunger
Combining the findings mentioned above, Cannon and Washburn included the stomach in the physiological conception of hunger. Following the stomach sounds produced by Washburn in the laboratory, they questioned their origin and measured the intensity of stomach contractions when experiencing hunger.
Through these contractions, hunger is registered and therefore they locate the origin of hunger in the stomach, concluding that The lack of food generates its contractions, which are in turn perceived through mechanisms such as the trophic reflex previously described.
Hunger psychology
Moving on to the personal and psychological factor, it is important to understand that hunger is not exclusively determined by physiological factors, but rather how we come, it is influenced by a whole stimulating network; society, environment, previous experiences, personality…
1. Conditioning and eating habits
One of the key physiological factors is conditioning and the formation of eating habits. Throughout our lives, we develop associations between certain situations, emotions or activities and food. For example, you may have established a habit of snacking while watching TV, even if you’re not hungry at the time. These conditioned habits can lead us to eat without hunger simply because our mind associates certain circumstances with food.
2. Food environment and food availability
Our environment plays a crucial role in our food decisions. Typically, in our Western societies, we are surrounded by highly processed and tempting foods, available everywhere from vending machines to supermarkets. Many theorists say that intake is often mainly determined by exposure to food and not so much because you are hungry at the time of eating.
Advertising and marketing also influence our food choices. When food is constantly within our reach and we are bombarded with messages promoting its consumption, we are more likely to eat without hunger. The availability of food and constant exposure to food-related stimuli can cause us to succumb to temptation even when we don’t need to feed.
3. Dysregulated appetite
In some cases, natural hunger and satiety signals may be dysregulated. This can be due to a number of factors, such as restrictive diets or a lack of attention to internal hunger and satiety cues over time. When our appetite regulation system is altered, we are more likely to eat at inappropriate times or without a true physical need.
4. Emotions and emotional eating
One of the most prominent factors in this context is the relationship between emotions and food. Emotions play a significant role in our food choices and how much we consume. When we experience intense emotions, such as stress, sadness, anxiety, or even happiness, we tend to seek comfort or celebration in food. This phenomenon is known as “emotional eating.”
Emotional eating can lead to consuming food not out of physical need, but as a way to regulate our emotions For example, some people turn to comfort foods, such as ice cream or pizza, when they feel stressed or sad. This search for emotional relief through food can become a behavioral pattern that contributes to the habit of eating without hunger.
5. Boredom
Boredom is another common trigger for eating without being hungry. When we don’t have stimulating activities to occupy our minds, it is easy to fall into the temptation of seeking distraction from food; simply by occupying our time and space. The act of eating can provide a momentary escape from boredom and fill time even if we are not physically hungry at that moment.
Too many answers to the same question
In the course of this article, we have sought to thoroughly understand concepts related to hunger and eating, with the aim of understanding why we sometimes eat without being hungry from different perspectives and considering both physiological and psychological explanations. The main conclusion that we can draw from this is that, as it is a phenomenon guided by such a diverse series of factors, it is impossible to give a single answer to this question.
1. Food and emotions are closely intertwined
One of the most notable findings is the profound influence of emotions on our eating habits. Emotions like stress, sadness, and happiness can lead us to seek comfort or celebration in food, even when we are not physically hungry.
2. Eating habits play an important role
Conditioning and the formation of eating habits are also significant factors that contribute to eating without hunger. Our associations between specific situations and food can lead us to consume food in a less conscious way or controlled.
3. The food environment and availability influence
Eating is a social phenomenon and on many occasions, we carry out this behavior as a way of belonging to the environment in which we are or as a response to the mere availability of food.
4. The health consequences are significant
Eating without being hungry can have negative health consequences, including unwanted weight gain and associated health problems, as well as an impact on mental health due to the emotional relationship with food.
