From lighting candles to turning on some smooth jazz, there are several things you can do to set the mood for sex.
But a new study suggests that there’s another important thing you should do before heading to the bedroom – eat.
Researchers from the University of Oslo claim that ‘soft caresses’ feel less pleasurable when you’re hungry.
They say this unusual effect is down to ‘ghrelin’, which is also known as the ‘hunger hormone’.
‘Beyond its established role as an appetite-stimulating hormone, ghrelin is also involved in assigning value to social rewards such as touch,’ the researchers explained.
From lighting candles to turning on some smooth jazz, there are several things you can do to set the mood for sex. But a new study suggests that there’s another important thing you should do before heading to the bedroom – eat (stock image)
Ghrelin is a hormone that is produced and released mainly by cells in the stomach, with small amounts also released by the small intestine, pancreas and brain.
It’s often called the ‘hunger hormone’ because it stimulates appetite, increases food intake and promotes fat storage.
However, previous studies have found that the hormone is also linked to other rewards.
Writing in their study, published in Psychophysiology, the researchers, led by Daniella Pfabigan, wrote: ‘Besides food, ghrelin’s effect also extends to other types of rewards.
‘For example, its administration makes mice consume more alcohol and raises the motivation to self-administer heroin in rats.’
In their new study, the team set out to understand whether or not the hormone also has an effect on the pleasantness of touch.
Sixty participants were asked to come to the lab for tests on two separate days.
On the first ‘food’ day, the participants arrived at 15:00 having fasted from 09:00, and were then given a liquid meal and a banana.
On the other ‘fasting’ day, they also fasted up until their arrival, but were not given any food.
Researchers from the University of Oslo claim that ‘soft caresses’ feel less pleasurable when you’re hungry (stock image)
Blood tests confirmed that on the ‘food’ day, their ghrelin levels decreased after they’d eaten, while levels remained high on the ‘fasting’ day.
On both days, the participants had their right shin brushed at various speeds, while their brains were scanned using an fMRI scanner.
Participants were asked to rate how intense the touch felt, as well as how pleasant it was.
The results revealed that the touches were rated as slightly more pleasant on the ‘food’ days than on the ‘fasting’ days.
The researchers highlight that, at just two per cent, this effect was small.
However, they say the findings could have important implications across a ‘wide range of domains’.
‘For example, it may imply that touch sought for reasons of well-being, such as a relaxing massage, has a more positive effect after a meal than on an empty stomach,’ they wrote.
‘The reduced pleasantness of non-food rewards could also contribute to the difficulty of sticking to a weight-loss diet.’
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
