Stress reduces self-control

Neuroscience![Figure][1] Stress can lead people to make unhealthy food choices PHOTO: © RUTH BLACK/THE PICTURE PANTRY/CORBIS Everyone experiences situations in which our willpower fades, and we abandon self-control for choices that we later regret. Maier et al. assessed how stress affects self-control in young adults that have a healthy lifestyle but reported indulging in fast-food treats regularly. Compared to control participants, participants who were experimentally stressed preferred tastier foods more often in a two-choice taste test, regardless of whether their choice was less healthy and in disagreement with their self-imposed dietary restrictions. Brain imaging revealed more-active reward and taste circuits in stressed participants and less activity in regions associated with self-control. This suggests that stressed individuals prefer immediate reward over following a long-term goal. Neuron 87 , 621 (2015). [1]: pending:yes