Word: brainful
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...When a hungry person is hit with such multisensory stimuli, it's no surprise that the brain starts screaming chow time, and the PET scan showed that it was screaming loudly. Appetite and hunger are processed in a lot of regions - most notably the orbital frontal cortex, which is linked to self-control; the striatum, which is linked to motivation; the hippocampus, which is linked to memory; and the amygdala, which is linked to powerful emotions. In Wang's subjects, all these regions were ringing the dinner bell...
...shed pounds together and, as often happens, the husband drops the weight a lot faster than the wife does. Well, guess what, guys? It's not your steely resolve or your trips to the gym or your superior genes that are entirely behind it. It might just be your brain...
...asked them to rank each on a 1-to-10 scale. The researchers then selected one food for each subject, the only requirement being that it scored 7 or above in desirability. When the 17 hours were up, the volunteers were injected with a nuclear tracer, placed in a brain-imaging PET scanner and presented with a food they craved. Actually, they were more than merely presented with...
...When the scans were studied and the results were tallied, it appeared that both sexes were actually able to lower the overall sensation of hunger. In most people, the brain may grow partially habituated to an empty belly over time, and all of Wang's volunteers did a good job of hastening that desensitization. What the men could do that the women couldn't was quit ruminating on food, successfully suppressing - if only temporarily - the conscious desire to eat. The women continued experiencing emotional cravings even if their hunger had subsided...
...short, the emotional train does run in two directions: between your brain, which may be screaming from the pain that your trainer is causing, and your face, which can - if you draw it into a relaxed expression - inform your brain that it shouldn't be protesting so much. So next time you're working out and grimacing, push your facial muscles into submission. Look blank. You will find it's easier to get through one more...