Because, you know, we have no control over ourselves

Jonah Lehrer argues that the reason the caloric information on restaurant menus in New York City has not led to weight loss (in fact a slight uptick in consumption has occurred) is because we are subconsciously wired by evolution to receive pleasure for eating calories...so it follows that we subconsciously choose fatty meals to receive more pleasure.

Unfortunately, this is probably true. But WHAT ELSE IS TRUE IS THAT WE HAVE A CHOICE! Our brains are hard-wired, via millions of years of evolution, to do many crazy things. But we are onmivores first, and omnivore diets typically involve constantly scrounging for food and eating hundreds of little snacklets throughout the day, never really full, always a little hungry...that's why so many modern diets advocate more, smaller meals...it ratchets the human metabolism back up to where it should be. But instead, most humans choose 3 or less meals a day.

You always have a choice. Cocaine gives the human brain intense doses of pleasure. But day after day, hundreds of millions of Americans choose to not use cocaine. I certainly don't. I bet my subconscious is pissed!


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