You’re just bored. That’s the result of research from the University of Central Lancashire in the UK. They conducted two experiments to see how boredom affects people’s food choices.
In one study, people were asked to list their favorite foods, healthy and unhealthy – and then they had to complete a really boring task. Afterward, when asked what they wanted to eat from their lists, they overwhelmingly chose things like chips, sweets and fast food.
In a second experiment, people were offered a variety of healthy and unhealthy snacks while watching either a boring video or a funny one. Those who watched the boring video ate a lot more unhealthy snacks.
The researchers say this shows we crave fatty and sugary foods when we are bored. And they believe boredom is related to low levels of the uplifting brain chemical dopamine. So people crave fatty, sugary foods to activate more dopamine…
So if you want to cut down on your snacking and unhealthy food choices – don’t let yourself get bored!