Eating snacks is harmful to your health. Until it became The main driver of obesity in industrialized countries. Scientists try to understand what makes us want to satiate ourselves with bad foods and argue so It could be caused by certain brain cells. Indulging in cravings for food at night may affect mood and performance at work the next day. This is what American researchers at Psychology University said North Carolina In a study published on March 25 in Journal of Applied Psychology.

Short-term effects

To be in good shape and at work, it is best to avoid snacking the night before. “For the first time, we have shown that eating a healthy diet immediately impacts our behavior and performance in the workplaceSeonghee Cho, a professor of psychology at University College, says North Carolina And the author of the study. It is relatively well established that other health-related behaviors, such as sleep and exercise, affect our functioning. But no one looked at the short-term effects of a poor diet.. “

Researchers studied 97 full-time employees who had to answer a series of questions three times a day for 10 consecutive work days. Before each day in the office, they answered questions about their physical and emotional health. When it was finished, the participants described the tasks that were performed during the day. Finally, in the evening, before going to bed, they indicated what they had eaten and drank since they finished work. In the course of the study, the researchers identified unhealthy eating as examples where participants felt they ate too much junk food, when they felt they ate or drank too much, and when they felt they ate or drank too much. Nibble late in the evening.

Physical and moral consequences

The results found that when people engage in unhealthy eating behaviors, they were more likely to report physical problems the next morning such as headaches, stomach pain and diarrhea. They were also more likely to regret and report feelings of guilt and shame about their food choices. Together, these two feelings reduced the “helping behavior,” referring to helping colleagues and doing extra when they don’t have to, such as helping a colleague on a task that is not their responsibility.

“The bottom line here is that we now know that a poor diet can have near-immediate effects on performance at work.Seonghee Cho sums up. However, we can also say that there is no single healthy diet and that healthy eating is not just about nutritional content. It can be influenced by an individual’s nutritional needs, or even by when and how food is eaten.. “