Sometimes we appreciate things we work harder for. And a Johns Hopkins researcher believes that this may also true when it comes to food.

The researcher, Alexander Johnson, wasn’t exactly sure why but when he tested the theory on some mice, he found that the theory held. And he believes that conditioning could someday help those trying to help those needing to lose weight – and perhaps, other disadvantageous behavior.
The findings are being published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

“Basically, what we have shown is that if you have to expend more effort to get a certain food, not only will you value that food more, but it might even taste better to you,” said Johnson, an associate research scientist in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins. “At present, we don't know why effort seems to boost the taste of food, but we know that it does, and this effect lasts for at least 24 hours after the act of working hard to get the food.”

Johnson did two experiments with another researcher, Michela Gallagher, the Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience and vice provost for academic affairs at Johns Hopkins.

In the first, mice had two leavers, one that instantly gave them a sugary treat and one that had to be pushed 15 times for a similar snack. Later, given access to either option, the mice preferred the food they worked for. Later they used low-calorie food with easy and high-effort levers, and those who had to work ate more and seemed to enjoy it more.

The researchers said they didn’t study manipulating mice, or people, into wanting low-calorie food more, but said the implications are there. So, you like things you work harder for? You think people who work for low-cal food would come to prefer it?

Baltimore Sun file photo