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Canadian Researchers Say Hard Thinking Leads To Big Meals
Posted by
timothy
on Sun Sep 07, 2008 03:36 AM
from the we-only-use-10-percent-of-our-stomach dept.
from the we-only-use-10-percent-of-our-stomach dept.
Anti-Globalism writes with an excerpt from a story at Ars Technica, according to which "a preliminary study from a group of researchers in Quebec suggest that working on a computer may have an additional impact on our waistlines: taxing mental effort appears to cause people to eat significantly more food, even though it doesn't burn many more calories than sitting around and relaxing. The publication, published in a journal called Psychosomatic Medicine, arose from a pilot study that the researchers were performing in order to determine whether a potential connection between mental effort and eating was worth following up on."
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Vindication (Score:5, Insightful)
First to clear up a small matter. Merely reading the summary is somewhat misleading. While the brain's actual energy usage stays consistent, the study shows that blood sugar and insulin levels varied radically during the tests. Furthermore, the subjects in the tests showed marked signs of stress, including heightened levels of cortisol in their bloodstream. Here's the relevant section:
What's particularly interesting about these results is that two things have been known for a while now. The first is that the brain's energy usage is relatively constant regardless of the task. However, it has also been clear that severe mental activity can result in signs of fatigue, exhaustion, and greater energy consumption. I personally can attest to these symptoms after several extremely challenging programming tasks. (Ever tried cobbling together an emergency replacement JSP engine inside 3 hours? That was... interesting.) Yet this is simply at odds with the scientific evidence on hand.
This study finally offers evidence to break the impasse. It is the first evidence to clearly show that there is a physiological and not merely a psychological effect from extreme mental work. I look forward to hearing the results of future studies. Perhaps a more effective diet or lifestyle can be devised to make knowledge workers more effective.
Re:Vindication (Score:5, Insightful)
Sedentary work + stress = overeating, who would have thunk it?
The real problem is the desire for money outweighs (pardon the pun) the desire for a sane society, i.e. exercise, etc. Having a certain amount of hours off a week for exercise/relaxation and whatnot, I was just reading something about how americans have near the least vacaton time a year compared to other industrialized nations.
I'm not surprised given the nature of our stupidity when it comes to taking care of ourselves, money first, health later.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Whether it's one day, or 5 days in the week, when I'm at work solving whatever problems show up on network/server/client side, I feel more hungry and eat something several times a day.
I'm much less hungry when I can relax during the day and don't have to sort out a chaos. In the past 3 weeks vacation I've eaten mostly 1 or 2 times a day and lost about 5 kgs. And I'm definitely eating a lot more he
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
>Or maybe current ideas about "healthy eating" are incorrect in some ways.
Probably not... the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet [nih.gov] which forms the basis of current National Institutes of Health dietary guidelines has been shown to lower blood pressure, cut the risk of having a stroke by 18% and the risk of a heart attack by 24% over a period of 24 years.
The diet consists of lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and up to 2 servings of meat a day; dairy should be low-fat or non-fat. In
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Then how do you explain the study "Unemployment, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and body weight in young British men" by SCOTT M. MONTGOMERY1, DEREK G. COOK2, MEL J. BART
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Then how do you explain the study "Unemployment, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and body weight in young British men" by SCOTT M. MONTGOMERY1, DEREK G. COOK2, MEL J. BARTLEY3 and MICHAEL E.J. WADSWORTH3? They found when british men become unemployed they get fat. Seems to me they have plenty of time to exercise.
Maybe they are depressed and that working isn't so stressful over there. I have something anecdotal. Even though I myself haven't had any adverse effects to my own health, I do work in a very
We all have mortgages to pay (Score:2)
Auto financing, credit card bills etc.
Oh wait...
A debt based monetary system may have an adverse effect on those living within it?
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A debt based monetary system may have an adverse effect on those living within it?
The other day I was looking for investment opportunities and came across Prosper.com [prosper.com] which is a P2P lending company which you give to micro invest in people's loans. Reading some of the stories of why these people need loans started to make me laugh and then start to die inside a little bit after realizing that America is full of these people who just don't know how to deal with financial responsibility. One guy on there was a
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
First, I want to say that I hope your brother made a full return to health and is doing well, and secondly, that I assume you are very proud of your father. Working people have been the backbone of all civilizations that ever amounted to anything.
But, you know, there are some 'cracks' in our system. I acquired a disease in Canada, from tainted blood, 15 years ago, and now that I have been back home in the States for 7 years, the virus went deadly on me. Through a ba
Re:Vindication (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
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Remember it's currently fashionably to regard sodium as "bad". With KCl or even more exotic salts being u
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However, it has also been clear that severe mental activity can result in signs of fatigue, exhaustion, and greater energy consumption. [...] It is the first evidence to clearly show that there is a physiological and not merely a psychological effect from extreme mental work. I look forward to hearing the results of future studies. Perhaps a more effective diet or lifestyle can be devised to make knowledge workers more effective.
On the other hand, putting only low-cal food in reach of course, it should be tested whether an unforeseen weight loss program might be "if you can't make them exercise, make them think!"
E.g. whether one will become less of a couch potato if a games console with some sort of "brain trainer" is added to the TV...
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
> I happen to believe that thinking hard- programming- writing- puzzle-solving for hours on end burns way more energy as opposed to sitting on your ass watching a sitcom. It just has to, right?
Depends. Maybe the difference in energy-consumption between a programming brain and a sitcom-watching brain is very small, or even insignificant. Note that while you may not feel like you're thinking much while watching that sitcom, your brain is doing all kinds of (difficult) stuff like facial recognition and spee
AC is as incorrect as he is anonymous (Score:2)
Slashdot readers should know that corrupt.org is affiliated with nazi.org, hitler.org, nsbm.org and generally promotes fascist and nationalist politics.
No, they're not.
We're on a free speech ISP that is able to host us by hosting others, including a raft of porn and extreme political sites of both leftist and rightist stripe.
You fail at internet pathology 101 ;)
I am an exception (Score:5, Interesting)
Long hours computing causes me to forget food... and sleep... and water... and stretching... but interestingly, not sex! Perhaps there's a study I could take part in?
On the other hand, I'm a vegan, so maybe I'm immune. I don't ever crave cheese or animal fats, having not eaten any of either for many years.
Re:I am an exception (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:I am an exception (Score:5, Funny)
Long hours computing causes me to forget food... and sleep... and water... and stretching... but interestingly, not sex!
Parent
Re:I am an exception (Score:5, Funny)
I'm a level 5 vegan [urbandictionary.com] -- I won't eat anything that casts a shadow!
Parent
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Does lack of sleep actually energize you? Makes you more lucid with a hit on judgement? The less you eat, the more energy you have? Have you been very sad more than 3 times in the last year? Be very careful, and if you find yourself running down the street naked as the Son of God, try Lithium or any of the new mood stablisers.
Re:I am an exception (Score:5, Interesting)
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Same here. I eat a ridiculous amount of food, but am disproportionally skinny.
Basically, if geeking out requires brainpower which requires food, a well adjusted metabolism burns what you need..That's the whole point of food, it's either being used or being stored. This study only seems to validate this, not justify why people are fat?
Diet, and a bit of exercise too, of course. A human can't cruise through life a junk eaingt sloth without severe health problems, obesity being one of many.
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Re:I am an exception (Score:4, Interesting)
That's because being moderately fat used to be a healthy and attractive trait. So the geek stereotype was the opposite of that: the scrawny weakling.
These days being thin is suddenly fashionable, so the stereotype of the geek changed to be the converse of the new desirable trait.
Neither of these has anything to do with actual changes in geeks' or non-geeks' bodies. Just the whims of fashion.
Parent
perhaps (Score:4, Interesting)
Weight a minute! (Score:3, Interesting)
I am a _little_ from ideal weight because sometimes coding is mentally exhaustive that I don't feel like doing exercise. However, when stuck into a particular computer task which I want to get out of the way, I don't feel like eating and don't miss food, just need to have a (non soft drink) drink.
consistent (Score:5, Interesting)
Seems consistent with what I found happened to my body when I changed my eating habits. I now eat only fruit in the morning and after that I eat bread, but only when I feel a bit hungry. As soon as the hunger is over I stop eating. I do not get my 3 meals a day, it is more like 5 or 6 very small meals and one regular one for diner. I now fit the same jeans as 19 years ago (501, 31" / 34") and I feel better during the day; no more cravings.
I have got a hunch that eating small meals keeps one's insulin and glucose levels more constant than eating big meals.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
"I have got a hunch that eating small meals keeps one's insulin and glucose levels more constant than eating big meals."
Not to state that you have it, but it sounds like the eating pattern (many small vs. fewer big meals) is fairly similar to what is recommended for people who have hypoglycemia.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
That diet is actually the eating pattern that doctors recommend to most patients in general if they can possibly do it. By eating many small meals, you will generally eat the same amount of calories (give or take) but your metabolism will be much higher. If you eat 20% more calories with that kind of diet, you will probably still lose weight.
It is just hard to get in to the habit without over eating.
Now I get it (Score:2)
I always knew I was brighter than everybody else. Now my love of between-meal snacks is explained, as well. Truly, this is a banner day in Canadian research!
If only they could somehow tie in above-average masculine endowment (if you get my drift), good looks and, of course, modest demeanor, my presence on Earth would finally be explained.
I await the expected shower of acclaim with my usual blend of aplomb and unpretentious good grace. And appropriate willingness to seek cover from a shower of more t
"I think, therefore I'm fat." (Score:5, Funny)
"I think, therefore I'm fat."
And whenever I'm at a restaurant, I order a la Descartes.
Re:"I think, therefore I'm fat." (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
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I knew it (Score:5, Funny)
I'm not fat, I'm just smart.
So THAT explains the average weight (Score:2)
So if I understand this right... (Score:5, Funny)
So if I understand this right and thinking people put on weight, then thoughtless people should lose weight.
I'll go around being rude to other people and when they complain, I will tell them it is my special thoughtless diet.
The good news is, I didn't have to think very hard to work this one out. I can feel those pounds coming off already!
I'm not fat (Score:2)
Thinking USA? (Score:2, Funny)
Anecdotal evidence... (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm quite skinny (Score:2)
math + programming = snacking (Score:2)
I've caught myself muttering and pacing with a bag of chips. There's a Pavlovian absurdity to it. Haven't managed "hear bell: prove lemma" yet.
It's not the sort of thing people can research, but it seems directly analogous to smoking cannabis and getting t
Depends on the person (Score:3, Interesting)
taxing mental effort appears to cause people to eat significantly more food, even though it doesn't burn many more calories than sitting around and relaxing.
For the average person mental tasks do not significantly increase the consumption of energy, however there is a correlation between IQ and amount of energy that can be brought to bear. Moreover, thinking dramatically increases the consumption of glucose by the brain, so feeling hungry after thinking might be a reasonable response from the body to request replenishment of basic sugars.
And that explains why Frys... (Score:3, Insightful)
...sells more junk food than your average supermarket!
Re:Yo Mama So Fat... (Score:5, Funny)
'Yo momma so fat she got a Nobel prize for thinking so hard'
Yo mama so fat she can verify the latest Mersenne prime number [slashdot.org] just by thinking about it.
Parent
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Ok, I'm fairly certain that you're just trolling here, but I'll bite.
First, I'm guessing that you probably don't work in IT. I do, and I can attest that when I'm sitting in front of the computer at work I'm not just doing nothing (95% of the time, the other 5% is spent here or checking my mail or RSS feeds), I'm busy working on whatever problem is at hand. Despite what you might believe, writin
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Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Since when IT became "knowledge based work"???
In our company IT is engaged in three major activities: spilling coffee on servers, checking cables and answering "NO" to all questions. None of that requires any "knowledge".
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You do realize that IT encompasses more than just Dell 'technical' support, do you not?
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Wrong. You can state that "more research is needed". Then you write a new grant with n=20. In a decade or so, after a dozen papers, you might approach something like statistical significance. Then you can retire.