The Psychology of Sweetness: How Candy Influences Mood and Behavior (2024)

FAQs

What is the psychology behind eating sweets? ›

Ghrelin, known as the hunger hormone, stimulates your appetite. And research shows that an increase in ghrelin levels may contribute to your sugar cravings. “Low serotonin levels can also trigger cravings for sugar,” explains Taylor. “So, if you're feeling down or stressed, sugar can be especially appealing.”

Theories of Sweetness

This theory suggests that sweetness is based on the attachment combination of a sugar molecule to a taste bud receptor, rather than simply the sugar content of a food or drink. In general, multipoint attachment theory posits that more attachments mean greater sweetness perception and vice versa.

Results showed that sweet taste was associated with an increase in prosocial behavior compared with previously experiencing salty taste but did not affect control stimuli ratings. FMRI results revealed a modulation of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex associated with this sweetness effect.

Consumption of sweet foods has been shown to be associated not only with activation in primary gustatory processing brain areas but also linked to reward processing (e.g.,²⁰).

Studies show that sugar can also increase feelings of depression and the potential for schizophrenia in people low in a growth hormone called BDNF. The hormone deficiency is found in people with depression and schizophrenia and thus consuming sugar only makes the symptoms more pronounced.

It's not unusual to crave carbs, sugar, and chocolate when you are stressed or dealing with depression. Cravings can be your body's way of letting you know it's not getting something it needs, such as a specific vitamin or mineral.

“Sweetness” is an attribute of perceived taste and therefore it is a mental concept. It is generally considered to be an element of a complex taste percept, and because it is an element it is called a sensation.

Differences in emotional responses to sweet foods were observed according to sweet liker status. Sweet likers elicited strong positive emotions when consuming highly sweet and preferred samples. Sweet dislikers elicited positive emotions to the highly preferred samples regardless of sweetness.

Food has been used to symbolize and communicate multiple meanings in religious and cultural ceremonies for centuries and sweets are a large part of that practice. Sweetness, Kirker explained, equals goodness, pleasure, reward and temptation.

Fatty, sugar-laden comfort foods make us feel good in the short term but can lead to negative state of mental health in the longer term. Fun foods can tap into nostalgia or play and can positively engage our emotional state. Foods with caffeine or alcohol reduce or enhance anxiety.

What is the physiology of sweet taste? ›

Subpopulations of sensory cells in the taste bud respond to sweet molecules by activating local sensory neurons that project to the brain areas that process and interpret sensory information (e.g., brainstem, thalamus, cerebral cortex, and amygdala) (1).

Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones, and sugar alcohols.

Sweet taste receptors and sweet taste molecules are involved in transduction of sweet taste in taste buds. Furthermore, it is clear that sweet taste pathways are present in the gut and in the CNS, including the appetite center in the hypothalamus.

Sweet taste receptors have been shown to be expressed in the K and L cells of the intestine, the beta-cells of the pancreas, bladder and hippocampus of the brain.

Frequent exposure to high glucose levels diminishes mental capacity, as higher HbA1c levels have been associated with a greater degree of brain shrinkage. Even in those without diabetes, higher sugar consumption is associated with lower scores on tests of cognitive function.

Many people turn to sugar as a source of comfort during difficult times or when feeling stressed. This emotional dependence can create a vicious cycle where the individual relies on sweet treats to cope with negative emotions, only exacerbating their addiction.

Sugar fuels every cell in the brain. Your brain also sees sugar as a reward, which makes you keep wanting more of it. If you often eat a lot of sugar, you're reinforcing that reward, which can make it tough to break the habit.

Desserts are a happy drug!

You see, when we indulge in something sugary, our brain floods our system with feel-good chemicals like dopamine and endorphins. These natural "happy pills" work their magic, unleashing a wave of pleasure and satisfaction that leaves us craving more of that sweet, sweet goodness.

Eating sugar gives your brain a surge of a feel-good chemical called dopamine. That explains why you're more likely to crave a candy bar at 3 p.m. than an apple or a carrot.