Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/57532 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2010
Series/Report no.: 
Papers on Economics and Evolution No. 1014
Publisher: 
Max Planck Institute of Economics, Jena
Abstract: 
In order to explain the growth of obesity in industrialized and transition economies, a behavioral approach to food intake and overconsumption of calories is presented. It is argued that changes in food consumption patterns are one of the main drivers behind the imbalance of calories consumed and calories spent. The inclusion of new types of food in the regular diet of individuals led to changes in the motives for eating. While the intake of nutrients has always been and still is a prime motive of food consumption, it will be argued that with a growing variety of food items other motives increasingly take over as major drivers of the expanding food intake. These other motives also cause that the internal signals indicating to the body when to close a consumption act now occur with delay. The interrelation of biological and psychological factors and changes in the composition of diet therefore forms the basis for weight gain and, in the long run, obesity.
Subjects: 
consumer behaviour
obesity
food consumption
needs
satiation processes
JEL: 
I19
D11
D83
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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