Understanding Hunger Sensations: A Key to Combat Obesity

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In chapter seven, many aspects of emotions and motivation were discussed and analyzed. While learning about these in class, one specific topic stood out to me. This topic was the sensation of hunger. Without food, people can not survive. Recently, however, food has become a controlling factor and has caused the increase in obesity in the human population, specifically the United States. Analyzing what causes the sensations of hunger can help to give possible reasons for the increase in obesity today. I found hunger sensations particularly interesting because it dives deeper into the causes of hunger. The chapter and lecture focused on the concept that hunger is a complex matter that can be caused by many a combination of triggers.
According to the textbook and lecture, hunger can be affected by two cues. One of these indications is external cues. External cues consist of the time of the day, the environment in which a person is in, teachings from a small age to “clean our plates”, how food is presented, and many more. In general, external cues do not necessarily mean that our bodies need nutrients. For example, the …show more content…

According to the textbook, internal cues occur when the human body is short on nutrients. An example of this is when the brain monitors glucose levels. In any case, when a person’s glucose level drops, the brain will send a signal of hunger to the person. Another cause of an internal cue for hunger is a low level of stored fats. Low levels of stored fat can cause the brain, specifically the lateral hypothalamus, to begin eating. Without these two triggers, the body will not be in balance, altering the hunger sensations and therefore changing the person’s eating habits. What I found interesting about internal cues was that a person that is morbidly obese is actually likely to feel as hungry as a small, thin person when crucial nutrients are not

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