The Psychology of Eating and Drinking

Our fascination with eating and drinking behaviors and their causes has resulted in a huge industry of food-related pop science. Every bookstore, every magazine stand, every grocery store checkout counter is filled with publications about how to get your child to eat vegetables, how to tell if someone has an eating disorder or, most commonly, how to lose weight. But the degree to which any of these is based on scientific research is very limited. In contrast to the literature for the general reader, the scientific research on eating and drinking behaviors is usually too technical for the general reader.The Psychology of Eating and Drinking is a unique volume; a textbook that can be comprehended by the general educated reader. Just as in her past editions of this book, Alexandra Logue grounds her investigation into the complex interactions between our physiology, our surroundings, and our eating and drinking habits in laboratory research and up-to-date scientific information. The chapters move from the general — hunger and thirst, taste and smell, and eating behaviors — to the more specialized — overeating and overdrinking, anorexia and bulimia, and alcohol use.In each case, Logue provides a brief synopsis of the most historically influential scientific research and then relates this history to the most up to date advances. This method provides the reader with a general introduction to the physiology of sensations related to eating and drinking and how these sensations are influenced by the individual’s social surroundings.The Psychology of Eating and Drinking provides the general reader and student with a biological and psychological framework to understand his or her eating behaviors.