Why do you still want to eat snacks even though you're already full? A study conducted by scientists from the University of East Anglia and Plymouth University in the UK has revealed the reasons behind this experience. Research has found that even if our stomachs are already full, the reward mechanism of the brain still makes people "shine" at those tempting foods. The relevant paper was published in the journal Appetite. Researchers asked 76 volunteers to play games about candy, chocolate, and potato chips while scanning their brain activity using electroencephalography. Halfway through the game, volunteers were asked to indulge in one of the snacks until they felt like they didn't want to take another bite. The results showed that the volunteers did feel full, their craving for food was greatly reduced, and their behavior showed that they no longer wanted food as much. However, when images of tempting food appear, the reward area in the brain remains active as if seeing a treasure. Dr. Thomas Sambrook, one of the research leaders, explained that no matter how full people are, the brain refuses to reduce the "reward feeling" brought by food, even if they rationally know they don't need it, they still refuse it in behavior, which is the "culprit" that leads to overeating. Researchers believe that this reaction is like a deeply ingrained habit, an automatic response that humans have associated certain foods (especially high sugar, high oil deliciousness) with happiness over the years. This habitual reaction is very powerful and can even bypass people's consciousness. Even more interestingly, research has found that there is no relationship between a person's self-control ability and this automatic brain response. This means that even people with strong self-control may be "biased" by this subconscious neural response. (New Society)