Hungry Intelligence

Want to give yourself a cognitive advantage?

Got a big test? An important meeting? A must-close sales call?

Then go in mildly hungry, not fully sated.

Christopher Shea reports that researchers at Yale Medical School led by Tama Horvath have discovered that hungry mice take in information more quickly and retain it better as well. And these scientists believe that the same is probably true for humans too.

The researchers studied the pathways followed in mouse brains by ghrelin, a hormone produced by the stomach lining, when the stomach is empty. According to Shea, the scientists were surprised when,

they found that ghrelin was binding to cells not just in the primitive part of the brain that registers hunger (the hypothalamus) but also in the region that plays a role in learning, memory and spatial analysis (the hippocampus).

The researchers then put mice injected with ghrelin and control mice through a maze and other intelligence tests. In each case, the biochemically ''hungry'' mice -- mice infused with ghrelin -- performed notably better than those with normal levels of the hormone.

Horvath says this finding makes sense: "When you are hungry, you need to focus your entire system on finding food in the environment.''

This explains why our thinking abilities seem to deteriorate right after a big meal. This also explains why doing a seminar or speaking right after lunch (or dinner) is such a challenge; I can attest to this from personal experience.

For better thinking, stay hungry!

[From the Creative Think Classics Vault]

Comments

[Erik Sumner]

I ate two Big Macs before I took my SATs. That probably explains why I didn't get into Harvard.

[Randy]

Clearly,QVC "Ball of Whacks" sale starting at 8:14pm gave enough time for proper meal digestion to allow the buyers to have clear thoughts and rapid, successful decision-making abilities! Now if we can only figure out exactly when they ate and what they had!! Or all "Ball of Whacks" users moderate and healthy eaters?

[Cam Beck]

Wow. I wish I read this BEFORE I started eating. Thanks, Roger!

[Eric Peterson]

Well shoot. I already forgot what your post was about! I ate way too much for lunch today! ;)

[Eric Peterson]

Seriously, though, it was interesting reading your post that your state of hunger can have an affect on your learning ability. I guess now that I think back on various "lunch" meetings, and night exams in college, I can really see that there just might be that correlation.

Thank you for the insight!

[Douglas Karr]

I think sleep and eating are both directly related to thinking. Here's my theory... our brain needs enough food to run but too much will overload it. At night, sleep is actually our archival state where our brain organizes data, compresses it, and archives it.

Want to remember more? Eat healthy and get good sleep.

I don't do either and ... what was I saying?

[Jorge Castillo]

There's the belief that the digestive system has some kind of intelligence, and it's clear that a lot of emotions are felt in the stomach like anger, fear, stress, surprise feeling, etc. In other words, we do some kind of thinking with our stomach and intestine cells.

So it makes me think: What if we could use food to favor a kind of thinking or a kind of mood? What if we could start the day with "Optimism Flakes"? What if we could order our "Whacky Meal" at McDonald's? ...

[Nathania Johnson]

Hmmm, this strikes me as strange. I have a really hard time thinking when I'm hungry. Though I will agree that a big meal can make it hard to think as well.

I guess moderation is the ticket?

[Leke]

The hunger/hunter thing makes sense.
Also i've read that when you eat, certain parts of your brain shut down to digest your food (which can take hours).

[Mike]

The idea of being "mildly hungry" when at an important meeting rings true to me.

It also reminds me of an Old Testament proverb:

"When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you,

And put a knife to your throat if you are a man of great appetite." Proverbs 23:1,2

Keep creating,
Mike

[Roger von Oech]

Erik: Are you sure those Big Macs are the only things that kept you out of Harvard?

Randy: I guess there is something about the time of day when you want to put your TV ad on the air.

Cam: Will this advice help people lose weight?

Eric: Thanks for stopping by.

Douglas: Maybe you should abide by your own advice! : - )

Nathania: Well, the study isn't recommending a starvation diet for better thinking. I find that when I'm REALLY hungry my thinking is narrowly focused.

Leke: Makes sense.

Mike: Oh, those tricky provocative Proverbs!

[Roger von Oech]

Jorge: "What if we could use food to favor a kind of thinking or a kind of mood?"

I guess that's what alcohol, chocolate, and sugar products are for!

[Tiara]

I don't know if that's true for everyone. When I'm hungry (even slightly so), I get really cranky and hyperfocused on my hunger, and can't concentrate on work. I need to eat to get things done.

Maybe the mice were more efficient at finding the cheese when hungry precisely BECAUSE they were hungry and super-sensitive to food! Would the effects be the same if they were looking for something else?

[Saurabh Garg]

Goes well with "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" :)