Hooked: How Processed Food Became Addictive

by Michael Moss

The same is true for our eating habits. Of the many things our brain does in drawing us to food—the wanting created by dopamine, the liking we get from our opioids, the deep biological resonance of the reward system’s commands, and our response to speed—none are more powerful than the force of memory in shaping our decisions on what to eat. The ability of food and of food manufacturers to influence our behavior is, fundamentally, a matter of the information that we absorb, retain, and recall. We remember what we eat and eat what we remember. Part of what makes memory so impactful is its geography. Memory doesn’t reside in a single cluster of the brain’s neurons or associate with just one of our emotions. It lives throughout the brain, inserting itself into every aspect of our being. A chicken potpie pulled from the oven gets logged and stored as a dozen distinct perceptions: the whiff of anise from the tarragon forms a memory in the part of the brain that specializes in smell. The tingle of salt takes up lodging with the neurons that manage taste. Likewise, the image of steam rising through the slits in the crust, the feel of the flaky crust as it crumbles, and the conversation you have with your fellow diners while demolishing the pie all go to their respective corners of the brain. Only when it is time to reclaim this information for the act of remembering will these far-flung bits be called up and reassembled, and we’ll think: That was a fine potpie. I would like to eat...