Food is essential for the survival of the human race. Everyone needs to eat, but there are some who eat excessively. For obese people, their stomach does not register when they are full; thus they eat without portion control. The brain gets happy when people eat because it gives a comforting feeling that some yearn for. When blood sugars are low, something similar to a food switch turns on and there is the desire to eat. This switch is called the prefrontal cortex.

When the prefrontal cortex misbehaves, it also misbehaves down people’s lineages. This is why obesity seems to be genetic.

A lingering question may have risen before, why is it that everyone turns chocolate when they are sad? The
idea may have come from many stereotypical movies, in which a person’s spirit gets crushed and they gorge themselves with chocolate. A more factual explanation is the three minute effect.

A scientific study proves that yes, chocolate does make people happier; but only for 3 minutes. Different variables have to be taken into account; the tastier the chocolate is, the longer the mood will last. The chocolate doesn’t neurologically affect people, as predicted, but it affects people’s taste buds, still giving a blissful feeling.

Another psychological impulse to food is the color red. Red excites the brain, and stimulates the appetite.
Companies know this, because numerous logos including companies such as McDonalds, Red Bull, Lays, Dairy Queen, Nestle, and Pizza Hut, all feature the color red. Nick Cruz, a sophomore at SHS, added to the list by stating “Another example is the ‘Target’ logo.” The color excites people’s minds, and may make them more likely to buy these products.

Likewise colors opposite of the spectrum, such as blues, purples, and greens, are repulsive to people.
Sometimes people associate these colors with rotten food. While blueberries, eggplants, and grapes are blue and purple foods, imagine eating “blue meatloaf or blue gravy;” as a website, http://www.bluesky-web.com/color.htm stated. SHS sophomore Kyle Mueller added to the repulsion of blue foods, as he said, “Well, anything that is purple or blue would probably make me unlikely to eat it, because it just makes me think of poison.”

SHS psychology teacher Ms. Jennifer Mamula explained how companies advertize their products to persuade you into buying them, “If you look at a picture of a Burger King burger, it looks awesome. […] When was the last time you got a burger and there were little beads of water on the tomato because it had just been sliced […]? Pictures show what we want to see, not the reality.”

Food psychology is such a broad topic, and these are just parts of it. But, take note of the next time that a
food with a red logo makes someone want to eat it, or how happy chocolate makes them.