People often say not to go to the supermarket on an empty stomach.
New research from the University of Otago’s Otakou Fakaif Waka may explain this theory, revealing that when you’re hungry or full, the way you think about food changes – not just whether you want food, but how vividly you can imagine it.
The study, led by PhD candidate Maggie Hames, found that when people are hungry, it’s easier, faster and more vivid to imagine food, which may help understand food cravings and eating behavior.
Co-author Associate Professor May Peng, from the Institute of Sensory Neuroscience and Nutrition at the University of Otago, said this shows that our thoughts about food are not random or purely psychological, but are closely connected to our bodies.
Certain physical states, such as hunger, can make imagined food experiences more vivid and valuable, making food particularly appealing. This can be related to appetite, diet habits, and understanding healthy eating on a daily basis. ”
Mei Peng, Associate Professor, Institute of Sensory Neuroscience and Nutrition, University of Otago
Giving in to food cravings can significantly increase a person’s energy intake, so knowing how the brain and body interact in moments like this could help better manage eating behavior, says Associate Professor Penn.
About 60 people took part in the study, whose findings were recently published in a journal. appetite.
They were asked to imagine the smell, taste, and texture of food when they were hungry and full, to see if these imagined sensory experiences changed depending on their metabolic state.
“It seems intuitive that people have stronger thoughts about food when they’re hungry, and this study experimentally tested that idea.”
Associate Professor Peng was surprised to find that it is easier for people to imagine the texture of food than the taste.
“While we often think of taste as central to food rewards, our results suggest that texture may be particularly accessible in mental imagery,” she says.
“At the same time, hunger changed taste images but did not have a similar effect on texture images.
“This distinction is scientifically interesting because it suggests that different sensory aspects of food are represented differently in the mind and may play different roles in appetite, craving, and food decision-making.”
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Reference magazines:
Hames, M. others. (2026) Assessing the relationship between food-related mental images and appetite. appetite. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2026.108592. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666326001546?via%3Dihub.
