The motivational value of food and obesity

One of the most well-known and consistent findings in the field of eating behavior is the devaluation effect in food. According to this effect the motivational value of food is lower during satiety compared to fasting. In other words individuals value the reward taken from consuming food more when they are hungry than when they are sated. This in turn results in less food intake when individuals are sated. A recent study shows that obese-weight (as to compared to healthy-weight) men although devaluate the rewarding value of food when sated, they do not adapt their eating behavior to match the value they are getting for the consumption of food. This means that although they devaluate the reward of food when they are sated they do not eat less like healthy-individuals do when they are sated. The findings of the study suggest that this mismatch between perceived value and eating behavior is caused by a reduced sensitivity to changes in motivational value of food. The study concludes that this failure in behavioral adaptation with respect to changes in motivational value of food, possibly causes automatic overeating patterns that are hard to control in daily life. Therefore, connecting the motivational value of food with the appropriate behavioral outcomes appears to be a key element in the fight against overeating and obesity.

Source

Horstmann, A., Dietrich, A., Mathar, D., Pössel, M., Villringer, A., Neumann, J. (2015). Slave to habit? Obesity is associated with decreased behavioral sensitivity to reward devaluation. Appetite, 87, 175–83.