手機版
When McDonald's began advertising its $1 menu featuring the Big N' Tasty burger, some franchise owners were forced to sell them at a net loss; the popular item cost $1.07 to make. How could they afford to do this? Because McDonald's already knew you were going to buy fries and a Coke—products with big profit margins. It costs pennies to fill up a large drink, but you're charged more than a buck for it. This is a great deal for them and not such a great deal for us, but we can't help ourselves, because sugar lights up our brain's reward pathway.
Many recent neuroscience discoveries about food's effects on our brains and how we make decisions about food are actually gold-standard trade secrets from super chains such as McDonald's. With billions and billions served, they must be on to something.
1. Addictive properties of sugar
Nearly everything on McDonald's menu contains some sugar, from the drinks to the ketchup to the hamburger buns and fries. McDonald's knows that most people are going to shell out an extra dollar for a soft drink because sugar is addictive. Just as you can develop a physiological and psychological dependence on cocaine, you can become dependent on sugar.
Recent experiments have shown that sugar offers the hallmarks of addiction: bingeing, withdrawal and craving. Researchers kept rats from eating for 12 hours, then gave them unlimited access to food and sugar water for a brief period, and then took the food and sugar away again. They repeated this schedule for a few weeks. The rats formed a cycle of bingeing when given access to sugar, and over time they increased their intake to twice the amount from when they started. When the researchers stopped offering sugar or gave the rats an opioid blocker, which prevents the high by blocking some of the pleasurable effects in the brain, the rats showed signs of withdrawal, such as teeth-chattering and body tremors.
McDonald's recently added new menu items, including McCafe fruit smoothies, which pack in more sugar per serving than Coca-Cola. With that much sugar, McDonald's slogan is probably right: we're lovin' it.
2. The push of convenience
The fact that you can go to almost any city in the country and find a McDonald's within five minutes of driving contributes to the likelihood of compulsive eating. Similarly, recent epidemics of addiction to cocaine and heroin have accompanied increased availability and affordability of these drugs.
Part of the reason that convenience sways us so much is that we have a limited amount of impulse control. Some of us are better at resisting temptation, while some are more likely to give in. Dopamine activity in your nucleus accumbens, the brain's reward center, can disrupt your brain's decision making ability by interfering with your prefrontal cortex, the brain's impulse control region.
Dopamine has five unique types of receptors, numbered 1-5, but dopamine2 (D2) receptors seem to be most important for compulsive eating. Imaging studies show that for obese participants, fewer D2 receptors correspond to higher body-mass index. With fewer D2 receptors, they're more likely to eat compulsively; it becomes even harder to resist super-sizing their meal.
3. The brain's economy and the Value Meal
Low prices minimize the pain associated with parting with your hard-earned money. Decisions become difficult when two opposing forces try to sway you, in this case, spending money versus eating. The brain weights the costs and benefits of a decision in a region called the orbitofrontal cortex. Brain-imaging has shown that losing money can cause your brain to experience the same pattern of activity as when you stub your toe. Losing money hurts. Yet McDonald's manages to sidestep this problem by pricing a sandwich cheaper than the Sunday newspaper (which helps make up for the pain of your $40 filet mignon the night before). At McDonald's, you get the rewarding meal without the pain of losing money. They make the decision easy for your brain.
4. Our brains prefer high-calorie foods
As suggested by Jonah Lehrer in "The Frontal Cortex," our brains evolved during a time when food was scarce, so we became adept at choosing foods that packed calories.
In one recent experiment, scientists used genetically engineered mice that were missing sugar receptors and therefore unable to detect sweetness in food. The researchers then gave the mice free access to two water dispensers, one with sugar water and one with regular water. Initially, the mice showed no preference; sugar water tasted just like regular water. However, after several hours, the mice shifted to drinking almost exclusively from the sugar water dispenser. To ensure that the mice preferred the calories, but could not detect the taste, the researchers offered them water sweetened with sucralose (e.g. Splenda). The mice didn't take it.
When the scientists analyzed the mice brains, they found that the mice released dopamine in response to sugar water, even though they couldn't taste it, but not in response to regular water or sucralose. Our brains can tell the difference between high calorie foods and diet foods even if they taste the same.
5. Addictive properties of speed
Drugs have a hierarchy of addictive potential based on the speed that they reach your brain. Pills have to be swallowed, broken down in the stomach, pushed into the digestive tract and then absorbed into the blood stream before they can reach your brain. The reward you experience comes relatively long after you take the drug. Heroin skips the lag time; injecting it directly into your bloodstream sends it to your brain within seconds. The closer you can pair a stimulus with a reward, the stronger the association will be.
Similarly, fast food provides a quick fix for hunger. You don't even have to get out of your car to pick up a Big Mac. You place your order at the drive-thru and within two minutes you can take the first bite as you drive home. You can hardly get a pan hot enough to fry in that time. The sooner you have the burger in hand, the sooner it can trigger the release of the cocktail of rewarding chemicals in your brain.
6. Brains like branding
Just as Pavlov was able to get a dog to salivate at the sound of a bell, McDonald's gets your juices flowing anytime you hear their jingle. Pavlov showed that if he rang a bell before giving food to a dog, eventually the bell itself would whet its appetite.
Across the nation, McDonald's provides a consistent experience every time you enter its doors. The employees recite a scripted greeting, the menu looks the same, and the same images and logos are posted on the walls. The more consistent the experience, the more strongly your brain associates the Golden Arches with the meal that follows.
The brain's reward chemical is dopamine, a molecule that's released when you experience something you enjoy. However, one of the brilliant aspects of the brain is its ability to learn and make predictions about the world based on past experiences. When the brain learns that a certain cue is associated with a reward, dopamine neurons learn to fire whenever the cue appears, even before the reward is given. Dopamine does more than simply reward you; it also motivates you to seek the pleasure again. As soon as you see the cue, your brain begins to anticipate the reward. The anticipation is part of the pleasure. Would you like fries with that?
7. McNuggets stoke your memory
In a recent study, researchers gave children chicken nuggets in an unmarked container or in McNuggets packaging. Not surprisingly, kids preferred the ones that resembled a Happy Meal. Neuroscience research has shown that a big part of the pleasure of eating stems from memories tied to the food, not taste alone.
In a brain-imaging study of the Pepsi Challenge, Read Montague at Baylor College of Medicine first gave participants a blind taste test of Coca-Cola and Pepsi while in an MRI scanner. The subjects preferred Coca-Cola and Pepsi equally, and both of the sodas caused brain activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, a region involved in pleasure and reward. However, when the subjects were told they were drinking Coke, they shifted their preference. Now, 75 percent preferred Coke. What's more, their brain activity changed. The hippocampus, the brain region crucial to memory formation, lit up with activity, suggesting that drinking Coca-Cola, rather than a generic soft-drink, stirs up your memories of Coca-Cola.
Similarly, eating a McNugget not only sates your appetite for chicken (and the glue that holds the McNugget together), it also reminds you of your childhood, the cool Transformers toy you got in your Happy Meal, and the first time you were big enough to order the 10-piece instead of the 4-piece.
參考譯文：
麥當勞開始了新的1美元食物宣傳攻勢，又大又美味的漢堡包引人駐足。這種大受歡迎的食物，平均製作成本就要1.07美元，一些加盟店主隻能虧本出售。麥當勞會不會虧損呢？當然不會。因為麥當勞知道：人們買漢堡包的時候也會買上一杯可樂。這才是麥當勞的巨額利潤來源——一大杯可樂成本隻需幾美分，麥當勞賣給你的價格卻不止1美元。麥當勞的如意算盤絕不可能讓我們占到便宜，問題是我們還是忍不住要光顧他們。這是為什麼呢？答案就是麥當勞的讀心術——麥當勞知道你的腦子裏想什麼。
神經科學領域的很多新發現揭示了食物如何影響大腦、人ren如ru何he選xuan擇ze食shi物wu的de奧ao秘mi。這zhe些xie科ke學xue發fa現xian恰qia恰qia就jiu是shi麥mai當dang勞lao等deng超chao級ji快kuai餐can連lian鎖suo如ru何he盈ying利li的de商shang業ye機ji密mi。讓rang我wo們men看kan看kan快kuai餐can業ye食shi物wu和he服fu務wu背bei後hou的de真zhen相xiang。
1 糖會成癮
麥當勞提供的幾乎所有食物都含糖——番茄醬、飲料、漢堡、shutiaodengdeng。maidanglaofeichangqingchu，daduoshurenzaimaidanglaojiucanshidouhuigoumaiyinliao，erhehantangdeyinliaoyehuichengyin。jiuxiangduikekayinchanshengxinliyilaihequtiyilai，renyekeyiduitangchanshengyilaixing。
最新研究發現小鼠對糖有各種成癮的表現：過度食用、戒斷和渴求。研究人員給小鼠禁食12xiaoshihou，zaiduanshijianneitigongbuxianliangdeshiwuhetangshui，ranhouchezou。yanjiurenyuanzhongfuzhegezhouqijizhouyihou，xiaoshuzaiyoutangshuigongyingshihuidayinteyin，meicideyinyongliangjianjianzengjiadaokaishishiyinyongliangdeliangbei。yanjiurenyuantingzhiweixiaoshutigongtangshuihuogeiyuepianshoutizuduanyaohou，xiaoshuchuxianjieduanzhengzhuang，ruyachidachan、全身震顫。
麥當勞最近又推出一係列新的食物，其中麥咖啡水果沙冰的含糖量甚至超過可口可樂。原因可能真如麥當勞的宣傳語：我就喜歡！（I'm Lovin' it.）
2 便利讓人衝動
在美國所有城市，都能在5分鍾車程範圍內找到麥當勞餐廳。這很容易引起強迫性暴食。與之相似的情景是，最近可卡因、海洛因的出貨量增加、獲取方便，癮君子的數量隨之猛增。
便利讓人們動心的原因就是：人(ren)控(kong)製(zhi)衝(chong)動(dong)的(de)次(ci)數(shu)是(shi)有(you)數(shu)量(liang)限(xian)製(zhi)的(de)。有(you)人(ren)對(dui)誘(you)惑(huo)有(you)超(chao)強(qiang)的(de)抵(di)抗(kang)力(li)，也(ye)有(you)人(ren)很(hen)容(rong)易(yi)就(jiu)屈(qu)服(fu)，這(zhe)種(zhong)區(qu)別(bie)的(de)根(gen)源(yuan)應(ying)該(gai)歸(gui)因(yin)於(yu)大(da)腦(nao)構(gou)造(zao)的(de)區(qu)別(bie)。人(ren)腦(nao)中(zhong)有(you)個(ge)叫(jiao)做(zuo)伏(fu)隔(ge)核(he)的(de)部(bu)位(wei)，富(fu)含(han)神(shen)經(jing)遞(di)質(zhi)多(duo)巴(ba)胺(an)。伏(fu)隔(ge)核(he)的(de)功(gong)能(neng)是(shi)產(chan)生(sheng)獎(jiang)賞(shang)效(xiao)應(ying)——這zhe個ge腦nao區qu激ji動dong會hui帶dai給gei機ji體ti美mei好hao的de感gan受shou和he體ti驗yan。而er伏fu隔ge核he中zhong多duo巴ba胺an的de作zuo用yong也ye影ying響xiang到dao負fu責ze控kong製zhi衝chong動dong的de前qian額e葉ye皮pi層ceng，人ren麵mian對dui誘you惑huo時shi的de決jue斷duan力li也ye因yin此ci被bei削xue弱ruo了le。
多巴胺受體有5種不同的類型。不過多巴胺2型受體（D2受體）似乎和強迫性暴食行為的關係最為密切。肥胖誌願者腦部成像的結果顯示：腦內D2受體越少，體重指數越高。腦內D2受體較少的人，也更容易出現強迫性暴食。
3 超值套餐和大腦經濟學
拱(gong)手(shou)送(song)出(chu)辛(xin)苦(ku)掙(zheng)來(lai)的(de)錢(qian)固(gu)然(ran)讓(rang)人(ren)心(xin)痛(tong)，低(di)價(jia)的(de)誘(you)惑(huo)又(you)減(jian)輕(qing)了(le)這(zhe)種(zhong)痛(tong)苦(ku)。這(zhe)種(zhong)情(qing)況(kuang)下(xia)，金(jin)錢(qian)和(he)美(mei)食(shi)委(wei)實(shi)難(nan)以(yi)選(xuan)擇(ze)。人(ren)腦(nao)的(de)前(qian)額(e)皮(pi)質(zhi)負(fu)責(ze)衡(heng)量(liang)付(fu)出(chu)和(he)收(shou)益(yi)，大(da)腦(nao)成(cheng)像(xiang)顯(xian)示(shi)：失去錢財時腦部活動的模式和被撞到腳趾時是一樣的。不過，麥當勞盡量避免受到人們這種心理活動的影響——他們把三明治的價格定得比一份周末報紙還便宜，甚至你前一天晚上為菲力牛排付出40美元造成的痛苦也會因此減輕。人們在麥當勞獲得的都是獎賞餐，毫無失去錢財的痛苦，這時大腦做出的決定一定是麥當勞喜歡的。
4 大腦喜歡高熱量食物
進化過程使大腦傾向於做出這樣的抉擇：食物匱乏的時候，我們優先選擇高熱量的食物。
zuijinkexuejiashiyongjiyingaizaodexiaoshujinxingleyixiangyanjiu，zhexiexiaoshuduitangdeweijiaoqueshi，wufaganshoudaoshiwuzhongdetianwei。xiaoshukeyiziyoushiyonglianggeyinshuiji，yigeyinshuijizhongshitangshui，lingyigezezhuangzheqingshui。zuichu，xiaoshumeiyoubiaoxianchuduinazhongyinpindepianhao，yinweitangshuiduitamenlaishuozaikouweishangheqingshuihaowuqubie。buguo，jigexiaoshizhihou，xiaoshujiujihuzhihetangshuile。weileyanzhengxiaoshuxuanzetangshuishiyinweitangshuirelianggao，erbushiyinweichangdaoletianwei，yanjiurenyuanyouweixiaoshuzhunbeileyoutianweidandireliangdesanlvzhetangshui。xiaoshudexuanzerengranshigaoreliangdetangshui。
分析小鼠的大腦後發現，即使小鼠嚐不出糖水的甜味，糖水仍然能促進腦內釋放多巴胺；清水和三氯蔗糖水就沒這個效果。就算你的舌頭無法辨別高熱量食品和減肥食品有什麼不同，你的大腦也有自己的判斷。
5 快捷也會成癮
毒du品pin的de成cheng癮yin性xing和he進jin入ru大da腦nao的de速su度du密mi切qie相xiang關guan。食shi用yong的de毒du品pin需xu要yao先xian被bei吞tun下xia，在zai胃wei裏li分fen解jie，進jin入ru小xiao腸chang，吸xi收shou進jin入ru血xue液ye，然ran後hou才cai能neng進jin入ru大da腦nao，產chan生sheng獎jiang賞shang效xiao應ying。海hai洛luo因yin就jiu不bu需xu要yao費fei這zhe麼me多duo周zhou折zhe，血xue管guan內nei注zhu射she幾ji秒miao鍾zhong後hou就jiu進jin入ru大da腦nao。海hai洛luo因yin很hen容rong易yi讓rang人ren成cheng癮yin的de一yi個ge原yuan因yin就jiu是shi：刺激和獎賞越容易被聯係到一起，兩者之間的關係就越緊密。
同樣，快餐也能快捷地填飽你的肚子，激發大腦產生獎賞體驗。你甚至不需要停車就能拿到一個大漢堡；開車回家的路上經過穿梭餐廳2分鍾，你就可以大快朵頤。如果你自己下廚，這麼點時間鍋還沒熱呢。麥當勞越快捷地把漢堡包交到你手上，你大腦裏誘發獎賞體驗、讓你感覺愉快的化學物就釋放得越快。
6 大腦喜歡品牌攻勢
巴普洛夫在每次喂狗前搖鈴，一段時間之後，隻搖鈴就能讓狗垂涎三尺，這就是著名的條件反射試驗。麥當勞當然也深諳此道。
所有的麥當勞給顧客的體驗都一樣——走zou進jin大da門men聽ting到dao千qian篇pian一yi律lv的de員yuan工gong問wen候hou，看kan到dao的de菜cai單dan如ru出chu一yi轍zhe，牆qiang上shang的de圖tu案an和he標biao誌zhi也ye是shi一yi模mo一yi樣yang。每mei次ci去qu麥mai當dang勞lao的de體ti驗yan越yue是shi一yi致zhi，大da腦nao中zhong食shi物wu和he麥mai當dang勞lao之zhi間jian的de聯lian係xi就jiu越yue強qiang烈lie。
經曆愉快的體驗時，腦內會釋放和獎賞有關的化學物質——多(duo)巴(ba)胺(an)。不(bu)過(guo)大(da)腦(nao)的(de)另(ling)一(yi)神(shen)奇(qi)之(zhi)處(chu)是(shi)它(ta)能(neng)夠(gou)學(xue)習(xi)，並(bing)根(gen)據(ju)過(guo)去(qu)的(de)經(jing)驗(yan)進(jin)行(xing)預(yu)測(ce)。如(ru)果(guo)大(da)腦(nao)通(tong)過(guo)學(xue)習(xi)，在(zai)某(mou)些(xie)體(ti)驗(yan)和(he)某(mou)種(zhong)線(xian)索(suo)之(zhi)間(jian)產(chan)生(sheng)了(le)關(guan)聯(lian)，隻(zhi)要(yao)這(zhe)種(zhong)線(xian)索(suo)出(chu)現(xian)，含(han)有(you)多(duo)巴(ba)胺(an)的(de)神(shen)經(jing)元(yuan)就(jiu)會(hui)興(xing)奮(fen)，不(bu)管(guan)令(ling)人(ren)愉(yu)快(kuai)的(de)體(ti)驗(yan)有(you)沒(mei)有(you)出(chu)現(xian)。此(ci)外(wai)，多(duo)巴(ba)胺(an)不(bu)僅(jin)僅(jin)能(neng)激(ji)發(fa)獎(jiang)賞(shang)體(ti)驗(yan)，還(hai)能(neng)促(cu)使(shi)人(ren)們(men)再(zai)次(ci)尋(xun)求(qiu)快(kuai)感(gan)，期(qi)待(dai)也(ye)成(cheng)了(le)快(kuai)感(gan)的(de)一(yi)部(bu)分(fen)。你(ni)想(xiang)吃(chi)薯(shu)條(tiao)麼(me)？
7 麥樂雞勾起美好回憶
zuijindeyixiangyanjiuzhong，yanjiurenyuangeiertongzhunbeileyixiezhajikuai，qizhongyixieshimailejibaozhuangde，lingwaiyixiezeshimeiyoubiaoshide。haowuyiwai，haizimengengxihuanqianzhe——它(ta)們(men)很(hen)像(xiang)開(kai)心(xin)樂(le)園(yuan)餐(can)中(zhong)的(de)雞(ji)塊(kuai)。神(shen)經(jing)科(ke)學(xue)研(yan)究(jiu)顯(xian)示(shi)，進(jin)食(shi)帶(dai)來(lai)的(de)愉(yu)悅(yue)體(ti)驗(yan)不(bu)止(zhi)來(lai)自(zi)唇(chun)舌(she)的(de)快(kuai)感(gan)，還(hai)有(you)很(hen)大(da)一(yi)部(bu)分(fen)來(lai)自(zi)和(he)食(shi)物(wu)有(you)關(guan)的(de)美(mei)好(hao)回(hui)憶(yi)。
2003年，百事可樂公司的“百事挑戰”係(xi)列(lie)營(ying)銷(xiao)活(huo)動(dong)中(zhong)有(you)一(yi)個(ge)著(zhu)名(ming)的(de)試(shi)驗(yan)，研(yan)究(jiu)人(ren)員(yuan)請(qing)受(shou)試(shi)者(zhe)品(pin)嚐(chang)兩(liang)種(zhong)可(ke)樂(le)，但(dan)不(bu)告(gao)訴(su)他(ta)們(men)哪(na)種(zhong)是(shi)可(ke)口(kou)可(ke)樂(le)，哪(na)種(zhong)是(shi)百(bai)事(shi)可(ke)樂(le)，同(tong)時(shi)利(li)用(yong)功(gong)能(neng)性(xing)磁(ci)共(gong)振(zhen)對(dui)受(shou)試(shi)者(zhe)的(de)大(da)腦(nao)進(jin)行(xing)掃(sao)描(miao)。品(pin)嚐(chang)後(hou)，表(biao)示(shi)喜(xi)歡(huan)兩(liang)種(zhong)可(ke)樂(le)的(de)人(ren)各(ge)占(zhan)一(yi)半(ban)。功(gong)能(neng)性(xing)腦(nao)掃(sao)描(miao)結(jie)果(guo)顯(xian)示(shi)：兩(liang)種(zhong)可(ke)樂(le)都(dou)誘(you)發(fa)大(da)腦(nao)腹(fu)內(nei)側(ce)前(qian)額(e)葉(ye)皮(pi)質(zhi)的(de)活(huo)動(dong)，這(zhe)個(ge)活(huo)動(dong)和(he)愉(yu)悅(yue)感(gan)和(he)獎(jiang)賞(shang)過(guo)程(cheng)有(you)關(guan)。在(zai)被(bei)告(gao)知(zhi)喝(he)的(de)是(shi)哪(na)種(zhong)可(ke)樂(le)的(de)時(shi)候(hou)，受(shou)試(shi)者(zhe)的(de)喜(xi)好(hao)似(si)乎(hu)發(fa)生(sheng)了(le)變(bian)化(hua)，認(ren)為(wei)可(ke)口(kou)可(ke)樂(le)更(geng)好(hao)喝(he)的(de)人(ren)數(shu)比(bi)例(li)增(zeng)加(jia)到(dao)了(le)75%。更(geng)重(zhong)要(yao)的(de)是(shi)，他(ta)們(men)的(de)大(da)腦(nao)活(huo)動(dong)發(fa)生(sheng)了(le)明(ming)顯(xian)變(bian)化(hua)。除(chu)了(le)前(qian)額(e)葉(ye)皮(pi)質(zhi)，和(he)記(ji)憶(yi)密(mi)切(qie)相(xiang)關(guan)的(de)海(hai)馬(ma)區(qu)也(ye)同(tong)時(shi)興(xing)奮(fen)。這(zhe)說(shuo)明(ming)，可(ke)口(kou)可(ke)樂(le)不(bu)同(tong)於(yu)普(pu)通(tong)的(de)軟(ruan)飲(yin)料(liao)，它(ta)能(neng)引(yin)起(qi)人(ren)的(de)美(mei)好(hao)回(hui)憶(yi)。
同tong樣yang，麥mai樂le雞ji不bu僅jin滿man足zu了le你ni對dui雞ji塊kuai的de食shi欲yu，是shi不bu是shi也ye讓rang你ni想xiang起qi歡huan樂le的de童tong年nian時shi光guang，開kai心xin樂le園yuan套tao餐can裏li超chao酷ku的de變bian形xing金jin剛gang，還hai有you長chang大da後hou第di一yi次ci買mai大da盒he麥mai樂le雞ji的de情qing景jing呢ne？
原文鏈接：7 Things McDonald’s Knows About Your Brain
