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Hunger-induced finickiness in humans
N A Kauffman1, C P Herman, J Polivy
1Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Appetite
|June 1, 1995
Summary
Hunger increases picky eating in women. Hungry participants consumed more palatable milkshake but less unpalatable milkshake compared to non-hungry participants, challenging common assumptions about appetite.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Human Nutrition
- Appetite Regulation
Background:
- Hunger is commonly believed to increase food intake regardless of palatability.
- Finickiness, or picky eating, describes selective food preferences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of hunger on finickiness in human subjects.
- To determine if hunger influences milkshake consumption based on taste.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments involved 157 female dieters and non-dieters.
- Participants were either food-deprived (hungry group) or given a snack (not-hungry group).
- Ad libitum access to good-tasting or quinine-adulterated (bad-tasting) milkshake was provided.
Main Results:
- Hungry subjects drank more good-tasting milkshake than not-hungry subjects.
- Hungry subjects drank less bad-tasting milkshake than not-hungry subjects.
- Hunger modulated milkshake consumption differently based on palatability.
Conclusions:
- Hunger may increase the rejection of bad-tasting foods, contrary to simple appetite-stimulation predictions.
- The effect of hunger on food choice is complex and influenced by taste aversion.
- Further research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms and limitations of this phenomenon.