Effect of sugar

Is sugar addictive?

Are you one of those people who find it difficult to put a slab of chocolate away after eating a piece? When it comes to food, and especially sweets, we often don’t behave rationally.

How else to explain why we reach for the chocolate even though we don’t feel like eating any? This behaviour is exhibited more often by smokers and alcoholics. Can sweets be addictive?

This unit describes the effect sugar has on the brain, the incredible power of reward, and explains what true enjoyment is about.

Effect of sugar on the brain:

In the brain, sugar acts like other addictive substances: it stimulates the secretion of dopamine. Dopamine docks onto our reward centre (nucleus accumbens), which makes us feel happy and content.

However, this feeling is not only achieved by sugar or drugs, but rather – as the Latin name suggests – by reward. Humans are basically addicted to reward. If people don’t get rewarded enough, they are more susceptible to addictive substances. It is therefore no wonder that we reach for sweets in stressful situations or when we’re grieving.

Habituation effect:

However, the effect of the stimulant wears off if it is consumed frequently. So you need to consume more and more to achieve the same dopamine release and the same feeling of happiness. People who have given up sugar for some time experience a much greater feeling of happiness after consuming sweets than people who eat sweets every day.

Another interesting effect of sugar is that people who eat lots of sweets – cake, for example – are more sensitive to visual stimuli. When these people see an advertising poster with a cake, their yearning for that cake is much greater than in people who eat cake very rarely.

So there are two reasons why it’s better to consume sweets only in small quantities. People who eat fewer sweets feel happier when they do, first of all, and secondly they have stronger willpower to resist stimuli.

Conditioning

However, often it’s not only the classic addictive substances that trigger the release of dopamine in the brain, but learned behaviour patterns as well.

If something is regularly associated with reward, after some time this thing will trigger the same reward effect. If children are rewarded with sweets, this association is often acquired in childhood already.

Rare is precious:

Beware! Now, you shouldn’t give up sweets and other “nice things” completely. On the contrary – scarcity makes something more precious, and you learn how to appreciate it more.

Because it’s important not only to adjust the release of dopamine, but also to consciously control your thoughts. You should take time to enjoy your favourite food and appreciate it with all your senses. That makes you happier and reduces stress.

Homework – Enjoyment test:

Enjoy a piece of chocolate for at least three minutes!

Take a piece of chocolate and eat it consciously with all your senses. Look at it, smell it, put it on your tongue and observe how it slowly starts to melt. Perceive all the flavour components of the chocolate. Try to enjoy that one piece for at least three minutes and be happy about that special taste.