Ever made a bad decision while hungry?
You’re not alone—research reveals that hunger doesn’t just impact your food choices; it can influence decisions in every area of life. From financial decisions to major life choices, your growling stomach might be nudging you toward impulsivity.
Discover how hunger, hormones, and your brain shape how you think and act.
Key Takeaways
Why Hunger Could Be Sabotaging Your Decisions
Shopping for food when you're hungry is never a good idea. Unsurprisingly, candy bars and chocolate fudge cake are hard to resist when your stomach is rumbling.
But fascinating new research into hunger and cognitive function reveals a surprise: When you're hungry, you're not limited to making unhealthy choices regarding food alone. You'll also make bad decisions in areas with nothing to do with food. Several studies over the years have investigated the impact food has on decision-making.
One of the most famous clinical studies is the Stanford marshmallow experiment of 1972. During this study, researchers offered children an immediate food reward or an even bigger reward if they waited 15 minutes.
Delayed Gratification “Wins”
Researchers found that the children willing to delay gratification went on to have better life outcomes than the ones who ate their marshmallows right away. Those unwilling to wait were labeled “impulsive” by the researchers. This study has sparked much debate over the developmental ability of young children to practice patience when faced with something they desire.Some researchers suggested that a survey of adults would have different outcomes. So, it’s no surprise that a team of psychologists performed a modern version of the experiment to dig deeper into the issues.
The psychologists from the University of Dundee in Scotland enrolled 50 young adults who could choose rewards of food or non-food, such as money and music downloads—all offered in a randomized order.
The adults fasted for ten hours before taking the immediate reward test. Then, they ate a meal and, two hours later, retook the tests.
Regarding food rewards, the participants chose smaller, immediate rewards. When it came to larger, non-food rewards that would arrive at a later date, researchers were surprised that participants also expressed a greater preference for smaller, immediate rewards.
In other words, if you're not hungry, you'll wait for a larger reward. If you are hungry, you probably won't. When participants were hungry, they were only willing to wait three days for their non-food reward. On the other hand, once satiated, participants were willing to wait 35 days to receive double the non-food reward.
Hunger Inspires Impulsivity
The Dundee researchers believe this indicates that hunger causes people to act more impulsively and impatiently even when their decisions won't alleviate their hunger. "We found there was a large effect," commented joint author Benjamin Vincent. "People's preferences shifted dramatically from the long to short term when hungry." He explained how this knowledge can empower people because they can see how it might bias their decision-making. "Say you were going to speak with a pension or mortgage advisor – doing so while hungry might make you care a bit more about immediate gratification at the expense of a potentially rosier future." Dr. Vincent couldn't explain what was happening in the brain that caused us to behave this way, so scientists from Harvard tried to find the answer.Food Hormone Plays Key Role in Decision Making
Recent animal research suggests the hormone ghrelin, which signals the brain for the need to eat, also plays a part in impulsive choices and behaviors. To see if this applied to humans, the research team enrolled 84 females between ten and 22. Of the 84, 50 had eating disorders, which conditioned them to grow resistant to the effects of ghrelin. All participants had a period of fasting then had blood tests to measure ghrelin levels both before and after a standardized meal. After the meal, they took an immediate rewards test called “delay discounting task”, in which they were asked to make choices involving money. For example, each woman could accept $20 today or wait 14 days for four times that amount, $80. The result was that the healthy girls and young women with higher hormone levels after fasting were biased towards the immediate, smaller reward, indicating more impulsive choices. However, those with eating disorders were not biased towards the smaller rewards because they were unaffected by the hormone. This novel finding suggests the hormone ghrelin plays a part in behavior beyond food.Food Really is Fuel for a Healthy Brain and Healthy Behavior
Co-investigator Professor Franziska Plessow explains, "Our results indicate that ghrelin might play a broader role than previously acknowledged in human reward-related behavior and decision-making, such as monetary choices. This will hopefully inspire future research into its role in food-independent human perception and behavior." This is a fascinating area of research. In my mind, it’s scientific reinforcement of the long-held belief that breakfast is the day's most important meal. Whether going to work, school, or enjoying your favorite hobby, eating aious breakfast will help your brain and healthy, nutrit body function at its best. And if you’re about to make a significant financial or life decision, don’t skip lunch. Consider eating before making your choice.My Takeaway
In my personal experience, I know I become a bit deranged about food when I’m hungry. I don’t make good decisions – it’s not only a bad time to go grocery shopping, it’s also a bad time to decide what the next meal will be. I’m much more likely to eat something unhealthy that’s quick to fix, or even go to a restaurant and overeat. It’s not hard to believe the same derangement carries over to non-food decisions.
Summary
Hunger affects more than just your food choices—it can lead to impulsive decisions in non-food areas, like financial or long-term planning. Studies show that the hunger hormone ghrelin plays a key role, making us more inclined toward immediate gratification. Research highlights that eating before important decisions can lead to better outcomes, reinforcing the idea that food fuels not just the body but also the brain. Whether it’s shopping, planning your future, or negotiating a deal, eating a healthy meal first may help you think more clearly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does hunger affect decision-making?
Hunger increases impulsivity, making people more likely to choose immediate rewards over long-term benefits.What role does ghrelin play in behavior?
Ghrelin, the hunger hormone, influences reward-based decision-making and can lead to impulsive choices.Does hunger only affect food-related decisions?
No, hunger can impact decisions in areas like finances, planning, and social interactions, not just food.How can I prevent hunger from affecting my decisions?
Eat a balanced meal before making important decisions to counteract hunger’s impact on your brain.Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?
A nutritious breakfast helps fuel your brain, supporting better decisions and reducing impulsivity.- Skrynka J, Vincent BT. Hunger increases delay discounting of food and non-food rewards. Psychon Bull Rev. 2019 Oct;26(5):1729-1737. doi: 10.3758/s13423-019-01655-0. PMID: 31520252; PMCID: PMC6797630.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6797630/
- https://www.dundee.ac.uk/stories/dont-make-major-decisions-empty-stomach-research-suggests
- https://endocrinenews.endocrine.org/hunger-hormone-ghrelin-affects-monetary-decision-making/?_gl=1*1x1hxci*_gcl_au*MTkxMTU5ODQ1Ni4xNzM0NjQzOTE4
