Motivation and Brain: Healthy Eating
PSY/355

University of Phoenix

Motivation and Brain: Healthy Eating
One could declare that at the core of life’s potential is motivation. Motivation is like a large mass of possibilities hanging in the balance, simply awaiting a push or pull force. That mass of possibility can be directed at a specific target (goal/incentive) such as healthy eating. The desire to succeed and avoid failure helps guide the mass in the needed manner. We must also consider the importance (behind our motivation) of underlying neurological brain structures included in hunger, satiety, intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and the environmental stimuli involved. (Deckers, 2010) For individuals that eat healthy regularly it may not have been an automatic way of eating. It more than likely derived from the learned behavior of healthy eating during childhood rearing or from self-motivation, either push, pull, or both as a source. (Deckers, 2010)
Intrinsic & Extrinsic Our parental influences include modeling, opportunity, limitation/rules, and the encouragement of healthy eating. Healthy eating is a result of a drive from within a person. (Wickens, 2005) Intrinsic factors that motivate a person to eat healthy are developed from wanting to avoid healthy issues in our life. Health issues can be extremely debilitating and life altering, such as cancers, diabetes, obesity, death from disease, and heart conditions. The intrinsic factors of experience, loss, gain, pros, cons, value, and utility play a vital role. (Cooper & Cooper, 2002)Extrinsic factors that influence eating healthy come from outer motivation sources. Outside sources of motivation can be positive or negative such as, looking better physically, motivated by our mirror perception, or by friends/doctors/relatives pushing us to eat better. A key way to identify the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is to understand that intrinsic motivation means that we do something for ourselves (i.e. it is enjoyable, pleasurable). Extrinsic motivation occurs by doing something because it leads to a separable outcome. (Deckers, 2010) Extrinsic factors can help induce an alteration in our genetics by applying healthy eating habits to our life choices and resulting in reducing our disease risk. Understanding motivation and the human brain entails understanding certain facets of the components. Motivation has arousal facets that range from tranquility to pandemonium; positive and negative aspects. It also includes specific elements such as, exasperated to excited; these things change in significance throughout time depending upon a vast array of circumstantial factors. (Cooper & Cooper, 2006)
Brain
The limbic system includes the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and the amygdala; these structures are vital in motivation for healthy eating. (Wickens, 2005) Maintaining a positive attitude about a healthy diet depends on the limbic system because its structures impact the creation of memories and regulate emotion. The limbic system structures are involved in reward and motivation. It has been discovered that rewards strengthens our motivation. (Adcock et al., 2006) Other areas of the brain that impact healthy eating motivations are the mesolimbic opioid and the dopamine circuits. A damaged or dysfunctional hypothalamus can lead to unhealthy overeating. (Adcock et al., 2006) According to Deckers (2010), neurons send, receive, and transmit information within the brain by way of electrical and chemical stimulation. Dopamine is one of our chemical transmitters; it is associated with pleasure and reward sensations. (Deckers, 2010)
Culture-Heredity
Both cultural and genetic predispositions influence a person’s eating routine. Things such as, intolerances (ex. Milk), allergies (ex. Peanut), and cultural food flavorings (ex. Spices) can impact the ability to maintain a healthy diet. It is similar to the way that alcoholism can be a hereditary and or cultural factor in one becoming an alcoholic. According to Deckers (2010) our frontal lobes work as the control center for our personality and influence the distinction between inappropriate and appropriate food choices. The cultural influence may need to be completely ‘re-wired’ to achieve healthy diet choices. The pre-frontal cortex also helps due to general intelligence and the ability to make good eating decision. (Deckers, 2010)
Encouragement of Motivation It seems as though the American culture in general uses food as a part of every single facet of their lifestyle- everything from, holidays, birthdays, death, birth, sporting events, television, celebrations, depression, meetings, dates, work, and eventually somewhere in the mix we find ourselves eating out of the basic survival need. Positive reinforcement of healthy eating from those around us helps induce a healthier eating routine. However, not having that greatly hinders making the change to healthy foods. (Lockyear, 2004) The social expectations and perceptions that are somewhat ‘forced’ upon us greatly determines our eating habits and ability to make alterations in them. It helps to make healthy eating changes if our circle of socialites understand, accept, and support our views or decisions to make healthy changes. (Deckers, 2010). The opinions and influence of our social circles can prevent us from eating healthy. Why does this happen? Social acceptance is a motivator itself; we have a psychological need to be accepted by our peers and our eating habits can cause social isolation, which isn’t very motivating. (Deckers, 2010) Also, a physician’s warning or order to create a healthier eating routine can be another extrinsic motivator that enables us to create goal and succeed. Finding out that our overall health, well-being, or life expectancy is at risk of being harmed or shortened is a very influential motivator for many people. These extrinsic motivators can become our intrinsic motivators once we are able to experience the pleasure and reward of maintaining a healthy diet. (Deckers, 2010) Thus, motivation paves way to an immense amount of possibilities for people. We have internal and external motivators- push, pull, and push & pull. Eating healthy may not be an automatic response or habit for some people due to childhood rearing or self-motivation. We must also consider the importance of our underlying neurological brain structures. The limbic system, dopamine circuits, and mesolimbic opioid structures play a vital role in developing a healthy eating routine.

Reference

Adcock, R. A., Thangavel, A., Whitfield-Gabrieli, S., Knutson, B., & Gabrieli, J. D. (2006). Reward-Motivated Learning: Mesolimbic Activation Precedes Memory Formation. Neuron, 50(3), 507-517. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2006.03.036
Cooper, G and Cooper, J. (2002). Subliminal Motivation: A Story Revised. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32(11), 2213-2227. Doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816
Deckers, L. (2010). Motivation: Biological, psychological, and environmental (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Lockyear, P. L. (2004). Cultural Differences in Diet and Heart Health Among Women: Culture and Diet. Medscape Today. Retrieved November 17, 2010, from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/490343_2
Wickens, A.P. (2005). Foundations of Biopsychology (2nd ed.). New York: Pearson/Prentice Hall.