Why Do We Crave? The Science Behind Food Cravings
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According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a craving is a “very strong desire for something.” You could crave a donut, a glass of wine, or a cigarette. Even sex. All of us have felt like slaves to our food cravings at some point — it’s just a matter of how long until we give in. The million-dollar question: How do food cravings work? Our evolutionary history provides some clues.
“Our brains evolved to respond to food whenever the opportunity was available, especially if the food was palatable and delicious,” says Kent Berridge, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Michigan. “Now, cues for delicious food are around us all the time, much more than the evolutionary history. Our brains naturally respond to those cues to eat.”
Most people would equate cravings with hunger. It turns out that’s not quite the case. “Hunger is an input to the brain’s craving system; it can amplify the craving system. But the brain’s craving system works a little separate from the hunger system,” says Berridge. “The brain’s reward system is really the brain’s craving system.”
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