Looking at pictures of food dozens of times can reduce appetite and encourage you to choose smaller portions.
- Looking at a photo of food more than 30 times makes you feel fuller, according to a study from Aarhus University. Participants also opted for smaller portions.
- On the other hand, seeing the image of a dish only 3 times increased the desire to eat it.
- One of the researchers’ hypotheses is that viewing the photo several times ends up tricking the brain into triggering the feeling of satiety.
Looking for a way to reduce your appetite and the size of your meals? Look at photos of your dish several times before sitting down to eat! This would have the consequence of favoring the appearance of the feeling of satiety, according to a study carried out by the University of Aarhus and published in the scientific journal Appetite.
Appetite: food photographs would have an impact on the brain
By submitting more than 1,000 participants to photos of food, the researchers found that seeing the image of a dish more than 30 times could make people feel fuller and encourage them to choose smaller portions. On the other hand, if it was viewed only 3 times, the desire to eat it increased. This physiological response is explained by grounded cognition theory, a cognitive approach that shows how the way we think about food can influence our appetite. “You will receive a physiological response to something you have only been thinking about. That is why we can feel fully satisfied without eating anything”says the main author Tjark Andersen in a press release taken up by Medical News.
The scientists carried out further experiments to determine whether certain elements could limit the effect of repeatedly viewing a food image. They first showed the volunteers photos of M&Ms of similar colors and then of different shades. Finally, they replaced the chocolate treats with Skittles. Unlike M&Ms, these candies taste different depending on their color. In each test, participants who viewed the images more than 30 times chose smaller amounts of confectionery. Thus, the team thinks that parameters other than color and flavor must cause the feeling of satiety. But, they have not identified them yet.
Weight loss: a useful discovery for the fight against obesity
The results of this study are encouraging for researchers. They hope these findings can help develop new approaches to reduce appetite and promote weight loss. Indeed, obesity is a real public health problem, which affects a large number of people in the world. By using repeated food images, it might be possible to train the brain to reduce its appetite and food cravings.
“Imagine if you are developing an app based on Google Search. Suppose you want a pizza. You open the app. Choose a pizza – and it displays many pictures of the dish while you imagine yourself eating it. From this way, you might get a feeling of fullness and maybe just stop wanting pizza”explains Tjark Andersen.
This method should be used in addition to other weight loss methods such as physical exercise and a healthy and balanced diet.