Hunger, Obesity, and Eating Disorders

Samantha Callahan, Department of Psychology, Lindenwood University; Danielle Patrick, Department of Psychology, Lindenwood University; Sara Roderick, Department of Psychology, Lindenwood University; Kahla Stygar, Department of Psychology, Lindenwood University.

Nowadays, hunger is not only linked with food it is also related to the family income level, also, it represents the feeling of starving to the time that it is disturbing or even frustrating. Oxford dictionary define hunger as “A feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat.” Indeed, most people would admit that when someone is starving, they are not performing to their absolute potential. This sense of resentment and anger when one is craving for food is prompted by a decline in the body’s blood- glucose level. In this case if the level declines, the human brain will recognize it as a threatening situation. The leading cause of hunger among

Scientifically, you should not make long-term decisions while hungry. Students at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden studied if it is smart to make a decision when you are ravenous. A hormone that is made in the gastrointestinal tract, called ghrelin enhanced their study. Ghrelin is released when your body is searching for food as energy. When you are no longer hungry, the manufacturing of ghrelin halts. Ghrelin is also associated with drug and alcohol intake. The researchers at the University of Gothenburg examined rats. Yes, rats are not humans, but they can display human-like behaviors. When an extra amount of ghrelin was inserted into the rat, they would go against their regular impulses to gain a quick amount of sugar instead of waiting a little bit longer for a larger, more substantial prize. A very much known phrase is you should never go food shopping while you are hungry. We all have

The main question: Consider the common themes and differences between the two health psychology issues chosen.

I’m sitting in my first class of the day. I skipped breakfast because traffic was going to be horrible. Now, I’m here, stuck with an empty stomach. When we are starving, we usually crave the first food item we can find. I figure someone who hates, I mean, completely loathes broccoli would eat it if it meant the broccoli would stop their starvation. I’m not stuck on a deserted island with limited resources. I’m a college student who is very hungry. Isn’t that the same thing?

There are two theories on why we get hungry; these theories are called the Set or Settling Point theory, and the other is the Positive – Incentive theory. The Set or Settling theory differs a bit in the point of optimal weight (or fat/energy level) however the basic idea is the same. In this theory everyone has a set point (or an equilibrium) where the body is using the stored energy, and if the body is above this point then it does not become hungry if it is below the set point the body is lacking

Everyone feels it at one point or another. Hunger will sink its claws into anyone it comes in contact with. Hunger, to most people, is their stomachs making slow rumbling noises; sometimes a deep ache in the pit of the stomach; not knowing what it is they crave but know they want something. They say hunger is simply the body needing food. While this is correct, it’s the ignorant man’s answer.

Konnikova starts her deliberations by pointing out that, “Being genuinely hungry … in the sense of physiologically needing food—matters little.” We can feel full after a meal, but receptors from the outside, like smelling, seeing, reading or even thinking about food can make us feel hungry again. We can all associate with that feeling when we want to eat something, and it’s not because we’re hungry, but because we want to. It has nothing to do with a need of our body. The author clarifies that, “Recent studies show that our physical level of hunger, in fact, does not correlate strongly with how much hunger we say that we feel or how much food

The hypothalamus is thought to have quite a lot of control over our eating behaviour, the lateral hypothalamus (LH) is considered to be the feeding switch that makes an individual begin to feed whereas the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is the satiety switch that makes an

Hunger is a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat. Hunger affects every region of the world. Loung Ung, author of First They Killed My Father, and Kamala Markandaya, author of Nectar In A Sieve, chronicled the devastating effects of starvation in Cambodia and India. Both Ung and Markandaya illustrate the daily struggles of not having access to food through vivid descriptions of what it takes to not die.

Hunger is something we experience every single day, but the hunger I am talking about isn’t what you are thinking. Hunger is when something is missing or absent. It can be emotionally, physically, physiological or spiritual. We are always hungry for something in life and as an adult, you are never truly full. We are constantly striving for more and to fulfill all types of hunger. This is perfectly described in the of Ian Frazier’s article, “Hungry Minds.”

Binge eating disorder, also known as BED or compulsive overeating, is a serious disorder that is characterized by a recurrent, irresistible urge to overindulge or binge on food even when you are painfully full. We reveal how and why it becomes a problem, and what you can do about it.

The everyday routines of life can and will be more difficult if encumbered with obesity.

For many of us, unpleasant emotions such as fear and anxiety are translated into a need to eat. We may develop this habit growing up, or in a new situation such as college.

Obesity is a condition in which the over accumulation of adipose fat tissue causes the weight of a person to increase abnormally. Their weight exceeds by 20%, as a factor of their ideal body weight. According to recent analysis, statistics show that more than one third of the world’s population is targeted by obesity. Research shows that overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight. Obesity occurs greatly amongst adults who are 18 years or older. An estimated 600 million adults were obese out of the 1.9 billion that were overweight, around the world in 2014. One in three adults in Mexico, New Zealand and United States are obese, and one in four adults in Australia, Canada, Chile and Hungary are obese. In contrast, rates of obesity are much lower in Asian countries, where approximately 2-4% of adults have obesity. In countries such as Mexico and the United States, Latino and Africans have the highest rates of obesity amongst all the individuals. However, along with adults, statistics show that the rates for obesity are also high among children within and below the age of 5. As calculated in 2013, the number of children across the world that were either overweight or obese was 42 million. Since then, the rates have increased by 30% more in in low- and middle-income countries than in developed countries. Due to the fact that this condition continues at higher rates across the world, several organizations, such as the World Health Organization, are working with and