Hunger Motivation

Hunger Motivation in Psychology

Before understanding the many theories and explanations regarding the motivation behind hunger, we must empirically define and operationalize the relevant terminology.

Fg. 1 Eating, pexels.com.

Definition of Hunger Motivation

Hunger itself can have multiple scientific definitions depending on how a study intends to measure and observe the presence of hunger.

The topic of motivation is a widely researched concept with several valid theories. Hunger and motivation are some of the most crucial correlational factors within these studies and provide both biological and psychological perspectives.

Hunger Motivation Theory

There is no one explanation or theory for motivation and hunger. Many early psychologists and scientific studies suggest that hunger motivation is solely a biological and physiological process. However, since these theories were founded, there have been many contradictory factors involving the motivations behind hunger.

Many ideas surrounding the late hunger motivation theory beg the question - is hunger an internal or external motivation?

A case for both explanations can be made. Some theories of motivation support hunger as a biological occurrence which would be an example of internal motivation.

One hunger motivation example supporting the biological perspective is the local theory of hunger and stomach contraction theory (Cannon & Washburn 1995). This theory is founded on the idea that hunger comes from the biological process of stomach contractions that signal to the brain when we are hungry.

Causes of Hunger Motivation

Early biological explanations for the motivation of hunger also included drops in glucose levels or even a decrease in fatty acids resulting in hunger signals. Over time, these theories have been proven insufficient as the main motivators of hunger.

While they make sense in terms of the biological and primary physiological needs of humans, they cannot account for several other external motivators behind feeling hungry.

External Causes of Hunger Motivation and Examples

A few of the main causes of hunger motivation include external factors. These are akin to psychological theories of hunger.

Often, people find themselves eating even when they are not hungry. This is precisely what contradicts the previously mentioned biological drive theories. If the only motivator to eat is to reduce feelings of hunger, then why do so many admit to eating despite the lack of hunger?

Incentive and Arousal Theories

General theories that may account for the external motivation of hunger are incentive and arousal.

Incentive theory (1940) states that motivation can stem from external stimuli that provide reinforcement for behavior. When applying this theory to hunger motivation the act of eating must be reinforced by some sort of external motivator or stimulus as an incentive to continue the behavior.

Arousal theory (1908) was founded on the idea that motivation comes from the desire to reach a level of sensation. Of course, this would make sense in the motivation for hunger due to our natural willingness to satiate taste receptors.

It is no secret that eating can produce feelings of pleasure and there is an abundance of psychological studies to support this. One study explores the brain’s pleasure cycle in relation to eating and concludes that the cycle “links pleasure with the cyclical changes in hunger levels related to the initiation and termination of meals” (Kringelbach, 2015).

Studies like this support the external motivation of hunger as well as the implications behind theories of the biological processes of hunger motivation.