Motivational state modulates the hedonic value of food images differently in men and women

• Published in: Appetite Vol. 48; no. 2; pp. 139 - 144
• Main Authors: Stoeckel, Luke E., Cox, James E., Cook, Edwin W., Weller, Rosalyn E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; alimentary alliesthesia; Alliesthesia; Appetite Regulation; Appetite Regulation - physiology; attitudes and opinions; Biological and medical sciences; digestive physiology; fasting; Fasting - physiology; Fasting - psychology; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Food; Food intake; Food Preferences; foods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gender differences; Hedonics; human behavior; Humans; Hunger; Hunger - physiology; Male; Medical sciences; men; Metabolic diseases; Middle Aged; Motivation; palatability; Photic Stimulation; photographs of food; physiology; psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; psychosocial factors; Sex Factors; Taste; Taste - physiology; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Visual images; women; Alliesthesia; Hunger; Visual images; Food intake; Hedonics; Human; Feeding behavior; Nutrition; Psychology; Sex; Male; Image; Feeding; Pleasure unpleasure; Motivation; Vision; Female; Perception; Psychopathology; Woman; Food
• ISSN: 0195-6663; 1095-8304
• DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2006.07.079

We investigated visual alimentary alliesthesia in non-fasted ( N = 369 ) and fasted participants ( N = 257 ) viewing photographs of food. Fasted participants were asked to not eat for 12 h before the session. Each participant was shown food and non-food images and rated each image on valence (i.e., pleasantness). The strongest evidence of alliesthesia was found in women. Fasting enhanced the pleasantness of food images for each of the food categories in women, although this alliesthesia effect was smaller in response to dessert foods compared to the less-pleasantly-rated food categories. In addition, non-fasting women exhibited significant positive correlations between hunger ratings and valence ratings of three of the five food categories. There was no significant difference in valence ratings of food between fasting vs. non-fasting men, but non-fasting men showed correlations between hunger and valence that were similar to those observed among the women. No evidence was found of hunger- or fasting-induced enhancement of hedonic ratings of non-foods in women or men, indicating the specificity of the alliesthesia effect for the food images only.