Two Sides of the Same Coin: Gym-bots and Obese People May Share the Same Brain Pathway
The runner tethered to the treadmill and the couch potato gripping a bag of chips may seem like polar opposites, but new research suggests that a single alteration in the brain’s reward system could cause both obsessions.
More than one third of regular gym-goers show signs of exercise dependence, continuing to exercise even when sick or injured or arranging their lives around working out. Nearly half of all people diagnosed with an eating disorder report excessive levels of exercise to control body shape and weight and to relieve stress and improve mood. Researchers have developed two opposing hypotheses to explain how someone could become addicted to exercise, eating or any other behavior. The first hypothesis states that these people’s brains grow more sensitive to reward; they find exercise more pleasurable, so they seek it more. Alternatively, these individuals may grow less sensitive to reward; over time they begin to require more exercise to achieve the same level of pleasure.
Brain – Research – Health – Mental Health – Eating disorders
