Thinking makes people eat more

Results of a new study have shown that performing intellectually-demanding task makes people eat more calories, thus suggesting that thinking could make you fat.

Canadian researchers recruited 14 female students for the study. The students were asked to complete three tasks – sitting and relaxing, reading and summarizing a text, and completing a series of memory, attention, and vigilance tests on a computer. After performing each task the women could eat as much as they wanted from a buffet. Each of the volunteers performed each of the three tasks over a two-month period, and no one was tested on consecutive days.

Results showed that the students consumed significantly more calories after performing the intellectually-demanding tasks than they did after sitting and relaxing – 203 calories more after summarizing a text, and 253 calories more after taking the computer tests.

The researchers conclude: “This study showed that knowledge-based work acutely induces an increase in spontaneous energy intake, and promotes an increased fluctuation in plasma glucose and insulin levels. This study contributes to the documentation of a new risk factor for a positive energy balance, with the potential to lead to overweight in the long-term.”

Chaput J-P, Drapeau V, Poirier P, Teasdale N, Tremblay A. Glycemic Instability and Spontaneous Energy Intake: Association With Knowledge-Based Work. Psychosom Med. 2008;70:797-804.