Why your brain makes you want more tasty food
Food Intake Recruits Orosensory and Post-ingestive Dopaminergic Circuits to Affect Eating Desire in Humans.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Immediate taste-driven dopamine suppresses later nutrient-driven dopamine in the dorsal striatum.
Common belief is that fullness signals reduce desire—but here, the brain’s initial pleasure signal actively dampens the body’s satiety signal, making overeating biologically easier.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re trying to reduce snacking, delay eating palatable foods until you’re moderately hungry—this may reduce the intensity of the initial dopamine spike and allow nutrient signals to have more influence.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Immediate taste-driven dopamine suppresses later nutrient-driven dopamine in the dorsal striatum.
Common belief is that fullness signals reduce desire—but here, the brain’s initial pleasure signal actively dampens the body’s satiety signal, making overeating biologically easier.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re trying to reduce snacking, delay eating palatable foods until you’re moderately hungry—this may reduce the intensity of the initial dopamine spike and allow nutrient signals to have more influence.
Publication
Journal
Cell metabolism
Year
2019
Authors
S. E. Thanarajah, H. Backes, A. Difeliceantonio, K. Albus, A. Cremer, R. Hanssen, R. Lippert, O. Cornely, D. Small, J. Brüning, M. Tittgemeyer
Related Content
Claims (6)
When you eat tasty food, your brain releases dopamine right away from the taste, and then again later from your body sensing the nutrients—two different brain areas handle each part.
The more you want to eat something, the more dopamine shows up in certain brain areas that track desire—your brain’s ‘I want more’ signal.
Auditory feedback during mastication modulates perceived food satiety and influences subsequent food intake via dopaminergic reward pathways.
When your brain reacts strongly to the taste of food right away, it seems to dial down the later dopamine surge from your stomach feeling full—like your brain is balancing taste and nutrition.
Your brain doesn’t just care about how food tastes—it also cares about what it does for your body, and both things together make you want to eat more.