Psychology of Hunger

Emotional closeness and connection in relationships can influence sexual motivation.

Personal beliefs, cultural norms, and individual attitudes shape how we think about and approach sex.

Media, social groups, and societal expectations can impact sexual behavior.

The basic need to reproduce drives sexual behavior. External factors like attractiveness or media influence can also motivate sexual action.

Hunger is a biological drive triggered by the body's need for energy and nutrients. This drive prompts us to eat to restore balance.

External rewards and cues, like the sight or smell of food, can influence hunger even when we're not internally hungry.

A biological mechanism that motivates us to seek food when our energy stores are low, ensuring survival through the drive to find sustenance.

Hunger is a basic physiological need that must be satisfied before other needs, like safety or belonging, can be met.

Our genes' influence on mating and sexual behavior. This includes seeking mates with traits beneficial for the survival of offspring.

The body maintains a set point for weight and energy levels. Hunger increases when we fall below this point to restore balance.

Learning to eat certain foods by watching others, especially based on rewards or punishments in our social circles.

Unconscious desires and emotional conflicts can affect our eating habits, sometimes using food to compensate for unmet emotional needs.

Our thoughts and decisions about meals, including timing, portion sizes, and beliefs about food, influence our hunger.

A system that maintains internal balance. This includes regulating energy intake and expenditure to ensure stability and survival.

The drive to achieve and maintain the ideal level of arousal. This is influenced by both physical excitement and mental stimulation.

Achieving personal growth and self-expression includes sexual motivation. It's a way to experience and fulfill ourselves.

Physiological arousal without resolution can cause health problems like hypertension and heart disease.

Emotions and physiological responses occur simultaneously but independently.

The hypothalamus and thalamus manage emotional responses and physiological arousal during stress.

Emotions are a combination of physiological arousal and how we interpret that arousal.

The ANS creates arousal, and the cerebral cortex labels it with an emotion.

Emotions depend on how we evaluate a situation.

The prefrontal cortex and amygdala process and regulate responses to stressful situations.

Cognitive techniques like mindfulness and stress appraisal training can improve health outcomes.

Ekman proposed that basic emotions are expressed similarly across cultures through facial expressions, suggesting universality.

Charles Darwin argued that emotional expressions evolved to help us communicate and adapt to environmental threats, aiding survival.

The branch of the autonomic nervous system responsible for "fight or flight" responses, activating during stress.

The branch of the autonomic nervous system responsible for relaxation and recovery, calming the body after stress.

A brain structure crucial for processing fear and identifying emotionally relevant stimuli.

The region of the brain that regulates emotional responses and helps you control your emotions.

A hormone released during stress; chronic levels can harm your health.

A hormone that triggers fight-or-flight responses, heightening physiological arousal.

The ability to accept feedback as a tool for growth, and to learn from mistakes.

Identifying and replacing unhealthy habits with positive routines to improve your life.

Understanding your strengths and weaknesses to leverage them effectively in achieving your goals.

Identifying mentors, friends, and family who can support your journey towards achieving your dreams.

Setting clear goals and maintaining focus while overcoming obstacles to achieve your dreams.

Defining success in a way that is meaningful to you, based on personal goals, health, and relationships.

Having a balanced life that includes physical health, mental well-being, and social connections.

Understanding and managing your time effectively to create a structured and fulfilling life.

This model suggests that stress arises from and can be managed by considering biological, psychological, and social factors.

These techniques, such as breathing exercises and muscle relaxation, calm the body's stress response by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system.

Regular physical activity can decrease stress hormone levels and improve mood by releasing endorphins.

Strong social connections can act as a buffer against stress by reducing feelings of isolation and promoting resilience.

This loop describes how recognizing emotions, expressing them, and regulating stress responses all contribute to a balanced emotional state.

Using thoughts to manage stress can involve reframing negative situations and setting achievable goals to feel more in control.

These techniques like relaxation aim to restore balance in the autonomic nervous system to reduce stress.