The Reason Why People Love Watching Food Videos on Social Media

Jakarta – Many times, various food-related content suddenly appears on your social media. Especially when watching food videos at night, it feels even more tempting. Content such as food reviews and mukbang often evokes the urge to eat without realizing it. 

At first, people watching for entertainment, but eventually tempted to overeat because of being captivated by content about food. 

Professor of internal medicine at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Mireille Serlie revealed, the sudden hunger that arises after watching eating content is really experienced by some people. 

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Food content wrapped in the concept of mukbang and accompanied by ASMR or tantalizing sounds has a psychological effect on the audience. 

"Visual cues from food induce a dopamine response in areas of the brain," says Dr. Serlie. 

There is a study that shows that visualization of foods that are high in fat and sugar increases the hormone dopamine much higher when compared to other types of food. 

This is also influenced by the taste memory that has been recorded in the brain when consuming these foods. So that just looking at it can trigger memories of the taste of the food. 

So, it's not surprising that after watching the content, the body often feels hungry and unconsciously feels hungry when eating or experiencing an increase in the amount of food intake. 

"The intensity of the response predicts the amount of subsequent food intake. Consuming unhealthy foods repeatedly can affect brain networks, leading to increased appetite and higher food intake," Dr. Serlie revealed. 

This psychological technique is often used by food brands to boost sales through advertising on social media. 

Viewers are tempted by the visualization of the food they see, increasing their desire to buy and eat it. Also, looking favorable food content can release the hormone dopamine, which creates feelings of happiness. 

In addition, social media can also influence the food and lifestyle habits you try. 

The more you are exposed to unhealthy lifestyle content, the more it can affect your health, and vice versa. 

"The content of junk food can activate the dopamine system in the brain to produce feelings of pleasure," she said.

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This is also influenced by the taste memory that has been recorded in the brain when consuming these foods. So that just looking at it can trigger memories of the taste of the food.