London: Can't resist temptation for junk food? Blame the little devil within, say researchers.
A new study has revealed that people with bad eating habits have "devilish" brains that wreak havoc with willpower -- in fact, an "angel" centre in the brain holds back another "devil" region, preventing people from giving into temptation.
However, the study, led by the California Institute of Technology has found that this mechanism works differently for different individuals and less pronounced in the weak-willed.
Lead researcher Colin Camerer was quoted by the 'Daily Mail' as saying: "After centuries of debate in social sciences we're finally making big strides in understanding self-control from watching the brain resist temptation directly.
"This study, and many more to come, will eventually lead to much better theories about how self-control develops and how it works for different kinds of temptations."
For their study, published in the 'Science' journal, the researchers showed a group of dieters pictures of 50 foods ranging from chocolate bars to cauliflower. The subjects were asked to rate each food for tastiness and for healthiness.
The researchers then picked a "neutral food" for each volunteer -- one that they rated as neither particularly tasty nor healthy. The men and women were then shown the food photos one by one and given the choice of eating either the pictured item or the neutral food.
Their brains were scanned to monitor activity in both the "angel" and "devil" regions. Participants with strong self -control signals were able to balance health as well as taste in their minds and opt for healthier foods. But those whose "angels" did not speak loudly enough chose the tastier foods.
"If we highlight the fact that ice cream is unhealthy just before we offer it, may be we can reduce its value in advance, give the person a head start to making a better decision," co-researcher Dr Todd Hare said.