Obesity And Aroma: People Weigh More When They Imagine Food Smells

Could the ability to imagine the smell of your favorite foods increase obesity risk?

New findings presented by researchers at the John B. Pierce Laboratory and the Yale School of Medicine suggest that people who can actually see a cheeseburger in their minds eye are at a greater risk for obesity than counterparts. As our sense of smell is crucial to how much or how little we enjoy food, a heightened ability to imagine the scent of food may play a part in overeating.

As previous research has shown that food cravings are associated with obesity, researchers set out to determine if food cravings were related to the vividness of mental food images.

During the study, they gave 25 participants three questionnaires that asked them to rate their mental-imagery abilities, including the vividness of their visual imagery, olfactory imagery and food imagery. Each question asked also participants to first vividly imagine certain scenarios that rated the vividness of the image on a scale of 1 to 5, according to Live Science.

Findings revealed that those with heightened abilities to fully create the experience of eating a meal or snack in their mind also had a higher body mass index (BMI). However, a stronger sense of imaginary smell was the greatest indicator of obesity.

"Being better able to imagine odors could intensify the craving experience, which in turn would encourage food consumption," said lead study author Barkha Patel, a postdoctoral fellow in psychiatry at Yale University, via the news organization. "However, if the ability to imagine odors was disrupted by something like a walk, for example, perhaps cravings would diminish, and we wouldn't feel the need to eat."

Researchers hope that with future research, the study may be used to develop cognitive behavioral therapy techniques that address the power of the brain's nose in curbing food cravings.

More information regarding the findings can be seen in the journal Appetite.

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