Dr's Casebook: Make your food decisions before hunger kicks in

​I am sure you have experienced situations where you feel you are in two minds about something. Well, almost literally, when you are in that state it is because two separate parts of your mind are competing with each other. These two drives are referred to in psychology as the deliberative system and the affect motivational system. The outcome of this ‘debate’ between the two systems is the action that you take, or your behaviour.

These two drives have had different names over the years. Thinking with you head or going with gut feeling, the id and the ego, or just emotion and cold logic. The deliberative system, is logical, takes time and is focused on broader goals. The affect, is the gut feeling, the spur of the moment, or heat of the moment decision.

The deliberative system being slower and logical is the part that influences your decision through the exercise of willpower and self-control. The affect system tends to cause you to be impulsive. Thus, factors which reduce the ability to use willpower will reduce the deliberative system. Similarly, factors which increase the intensity of the affect motivational drive will make you go for the heat of the moment decision.

Giving up a habit is an example of this. For example, being around smokers when trying to give up smoking is hard. It becomes harder if another factor reduces willpower, such as going to the pub or seeing people smoking.

An interesting piece of research from the university of Pennsylvania suggests a practical use of this in terms of one’s diet and weight control, because you may be able to cut calorie intake by ordering meals before you are hungry. Researchers examined the lunch orders of 690 employees and almost 200 students, when they chose their lunch options. They found that people selected high-calorie meals when they ordered immediately before eating. When people ordered an hour or more before lunch they ordered lower calorie meals.

Ordering when hunger has kicked in affects the decision, because you are entering the heat of the moment. Hunger, smell of food increase the affect motivation and reduce the deliberative system. So, if you want to reduce calories, order in advance.