Outside meanders out of the campground and into the chem lab, following a Connecticut College experiment determining just how strong our junk-food cravings can get. As it turns out, the need for creamy filling gets pretty darn strong:
“Our research supports the theory that high-fat/high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do,” Professor Joseph Schroeder said in a release on Connecticut College News. “It may explain why some people can’t resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them.”
Inside a maze, researcher fed Oreos to rats on one side and rice cakes on the other side. Mice that were fed rice cakes left the area quicker than those fed Oreos. A similar experiment was done involving injections of cocaine vs. saline solution. The results showed that rats conditioned with cocaine spent just as much time where they were given cocaine on the “drug” side as mice that were given Oreos, and more neurons were activated in areas of the brain that correspond to pleasure….