Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have found an actual difference between the brains of individuals who are able to exercise self-control , and those who find it almost impossible.
Every person uses the same area of the brain to make value-based choices, for example, if I eat that chocolate I will really enjoy it. But, there is a second area of the brain, called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), that modulates the activity of this area, and factors in more abstract aspects of choice-making– like if I eat that chocolate, I’m making a poor choice for my overall health. The difference between those with tight self-control and those without, lies in this second part of the brain.
Here’s a quote from the article describing the experiment:
“A group of volunteers–all self-reported dieters–were shown photos of 50 foods, including everything from Snickers bars to Jello to cauliflower. The participants were asked to rate each of the foods based on how good they thought that food would taste. Afterwards, they were shown the same slides again and asked to rate each of the foods based on its supposed health benefits.
From those ratings, the researchers selected an “index food” for each volunteer–a food that fell about in the middle of the pack in terms of tastiness and supposed health benefits.
The participant was then shown the 50 items one final time and was asked to choose between it and the index item. (To keep the choosers “honest” without forcing them to eat 50 different foods in one sitting, the researchers would randomly select a number corresponding to one of the slides, and the participant would have to eat whichever food had been chosen at that point.)
All three viewings of the slides were done with the participant inside an MRI scanner, so that the blood-oxygen level dependent signal (a proxy for neuronal activity) in specific areas of the brain could be measured.”
The results:
Nineteen of the volunteers showed significant dietary self-control, while 18 showed very little, and consistently picked out what food was tastier, despite their perception that it was also unhealthier. (Remember, all participants in the study were dieters.)
When the MRI’s of these two groups were compared, researchers found significant differences between this second region of the brain, DLPFC, that regulates abstract factors, such as nutritional value.
What’s next:
So, the next step for science is to find some tricks, tactics, and methods for upping the activity of the DLPFC. One idea is to give the decision making part of the brain a heads-up by putting the negative qualities of a food choice at the forefront. For example, before even looking at the front of a tub of ice cream (those photos always look too delicious), look at the back and force yourself to read the nutritional content. Then make a decision.
Unfortunately, a lot of work still needs to be done, especially when the box of doughnuts is already open and there’s only one left…
Mechanisms of Self-Control Pinpointed in Brain
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430144543.htm
Technorati Tags: self-control
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Losing weight is not an easy task. Shedding those extra pounds of flesh requires you to be consistent in your approach towards weight shedding.
Annes last blog post..Swine flu may be less potent than first feared
Great article Tanya.
I guess we sometimes take for granted that the power of perception is a mighty factor and we then feel guilty when giving into our dietry desitres. Really good point you made at the end of this post about reading the back before looking at the picture on the front to change perceptions – I must try that!
Eliza – Diets That Works last blog post..Foods with Low Glycemic Index