Ever wonder how to make a woman feel romantic? It seems like both men and women are tuned into romance after they’ve had a hearty meal. A study published in the journal Appetite outlines how women’s brains react to romantic cues before and after they have eaten.
Women’s brains respond better to romantic cues when fed
The study compared the activation of brain’s reward centers in women who have a history of dieting and women who have never dieted before. Both these groups were shown a series of romantic pictures before and after they were fed; both showed a greater activation of their reward centers when fed than when hungry. These results go against previous studies that suggest hunger makes brains more sensitive to rewarding stimuli like food, money, and sex.
Historical dieters have a higher response to food cues than non-dieters
This study was based on results obtained from a pilot study that looked at the brain’s response to food cues. They compared how historical dieters and non-dieters responded to food cues. They found that women who have a history of dieting⎯and a higher chance of weight gain in the future⎯had much more activity in the reward centers of the brain than non-dieters or people currently dieting. This reward response was greater to highly palatable food cues like chocolate as opposed to carrots, which are neutral palatable cues.
Do dieting women respond differently to romantic cues?
In the same vein as the pilot study, the researchers wanted to investigate whether the brains of women with a history of dieting responded differently. The brains were scanned to locate areas of activation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). When shown romantic pictures after being fed, both historic and non-dieters showed increased activation in the reward-related regions of the brain. However, what was strikingly different in historical dieters was the reward centers that lit up in response to romantic cues: they followed the same pattern of activation that dieters exhibit for palatable food cues as discovered in the pilot study. Also, when compared, dieters had a higher response than non-dieters, after being fed.
These results show that our brain circuitry for food and sex may have intertwining mechanisms. Once food is taken care of, we are more open to romance. So, how to make a woman feel romantic? Make sure the food part is taken care of…
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