Did you know that all pleasurable or rewarding activities cause midbrain neurons to release dopamine? Cuddling, laughing, eating, and and dancing in the rain are all ways that we can stimulate the release of dopamine, which leads to more feelings of pleasure.
According to the authors of “Intuitive Eating,” the majority of people in their practices who binge eat are often leading very unbalanced lives.
This is why food can feel so addicting.
When we deprive ourselves of consistent, daily fun through a variety of activities, we may feel a major lack of pleasure and joy in our lives. Then when we eat, dopamine is released and we are rewarded with the pleasant feelings that we have been missing.
Food is meant to be pleasurable and rewarding so that we continue to seek it out to stay alive.
But when we have very few other sources of fun, it’s no wonder that we use food over and over again to bring pleasure into our lives. We binge in order to feel good - in order to get through the day.
