Researchers have reported that thinking while the stomach is empty gives us the opportunity to make more informed decisions, according to a study conducted by the Dutch University of Utrecht.
The Italian magazine “Focus” quoted scientists as saying that hunger causes a state of alertness and focus for humans, and immediately directs us towards wiser choices, and avoids falling into the maze of thoughts.
The researchers involved 81 university students in their study, where they asked all students to fast from the night before the experiment, and the next morning, some food, especially very fat yogurt, was served to some students, to achieve a feeling of satiety, while other students were not served food.
The students had to take a psychological betting test, a test used to study the dynamics of decision-making processes, and they were asked to take a questionnaire, to test the ability to delay getting small immediate rewards in exchange for larger rewards after a period of time. The student was asked a question such as: Would you rather get 27 euros today, or 50 euros in three weeks?”
In the first test, hungry students were shown to be more likely to make better choices faster than their peers, and in the second test they were also shown to know how to make the best decision to achieve big, long-term rewards.
The researchers conclude that in certain situations, hunger can naturally push us to make better decisions faster, whereby when our stomachs are full, we are lost in the maze of thinking.
It is noteworthy that this rule has exceptions, as hunger can make the task of thinking more difficult, for example when you start to stick to a diet.
Hunger enables us to make good decisions
