Happy Heart, Slender Waist?
It could be. A new study has found that happier thoughts lead to healthier food.
Sound a little crazy? Well, researchers have discovered that mood and food are connected, and if you want to lose weight, think a happy thought. How many of us have stepped on the scale, been mortified, then felt anger and hatred for our shape course through our bodies?
It's hard to think happy thoughts when you're heavy, I admit. But “people use food to either maintain a good mood or regain a good mood, and if you’re already in a good mood, you tend to eat more healthfully than if you’re in a bad mood,” said study author Brian Wansink a professor in Cornell’s Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, at newswise.com.
Study authors note, "When people are in a good mood, things seem OK, and they can take a big-picture perspective. This kind of thinking allows people to focus on the more abstract aspects of food, including how healthy it is.”
But is this really counter-intuitive? Eating a hot fudge sundae makes me very happy -- until I try to zip my jeans the next day. But being thin also makes me very happy, and makes me want to eat less. (A friend once said, "Nothing tastes better than being thin," and I have to agree. But that's for another day.)
It's hard to think of yourself as attractive -- or happy -- when you feel you need to lose weight. You probably picture yourself as sad and unlikable and not someone anyone would want to be around.
But researchers claim that if you can love -- or feel happy about -- yourself, even when you feel overweight, or bloated or stitched into your clothes, you'll make better food choices.
I'm going to try it and see.
Sound a little crazy? Well, researchers have discovered that mood and food are connected, and if you want to lose weight, think a happy thought. How many of us have stepped on the scale, been mortified, then felt anger and hatred for our shape course through our bodies?
It's hard to think happy thoughts when you're heavy, I admit. But “people use food to either maintain a good mood or regain a good mood, and if you’re already in a good mood, you tend to eat more healthfully than if you’re in a bad mood,” said study author Brian Wansink a professor in Cornell’s Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, at newswise.com.
Study authors note, "When people are in a good mood, things seem OK, and they can take a big-picture perspective. This kind of thinking allows people to focus on the more abstract aspects of food, including how healthy it is.”
But is this really counter-intuitive? Eating a hot fudge sundae makes me very happy -- until I try to zip my jeans the next day. But being thin also makes me very happy, and makes me want to eat less. (A friend once said, "Nothing tastes better than being thin," and I have to agree. But that's for another day.)
It's hard to think of yourself as attractive -- or happy -- when you feel you need to lose weight. You probably picture yourself as sad and unlikable and not someone anyone would want to be around.
But researchers claim that if you can love -- or feel happy about -- yourself, even when you feel overweight, or bloated or stitched into your clothes, you'll make better food choices.
I'm going to try it and see.
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