Researchers found the stress of thinking caused overeating with heavy thinkers seeking out more calories.

    The research team, supervised by Dr Angelo Tremblay, measured the spontaneous food intake of 14 students after each of three tasks.
    由 Tremblay 所領導的研究團隊, 針對14位學生在正常三餐以外, 無意識的飲食習性做出上述結論

    The first was relaxing in a sitting position, the second reading and summarizing a text, and finally completing a series of memory, attention, and vigilance tests on the computer.

    After 45 minutes at each activity, participants were invited to eat as much as they wanted from a buffet.

    The researchers had already discovered that each session of intellectual work requires only three calories more than the rest period.
    研究人員發現, 相較於其它兩個步驟, 需要動腦筋的步驟僅需多耗約三個卡路里的能量
    However, despite the low energy cost of mental work, the students spontaneously consumed 203 more calories after summarizing a text and 253 more calories after the computer tests.
    雖然動腦筋只消耗少量的卡路里, 但學生們卻無意識地在彙整資料後多消耗203卡, 而在完成電腦相關測試後多耗了253卡

    This represents a 23.6 per cent and 29.4 per cent increase, respectively, compared with the rest period.
    也就是相較於放鬆的閑坐, 對於卡路里的需求, 後兩個步驟分別增長了23.6%與29.4%
    Blood samples taken before, during, and after each session revealed that intellectual work causes much bigger fluctuations in glucose and insulin levels than rest periods.
    而分別在測試前, 中, 後所做的血液抽樣檢驗也顯示, 需要動腦的步驟對於葡萄糖與胰島素的需求波動遠大於其他的步驟

    Jean-Philippe Chaput, the study's main author, said: "These fluctuations may be caused by the stress of intellectual work, or also reflect a biological adaptation during glucose combustion."
    該實驗的主要實施人, Chaput 說: 這種波動可能來自於腦力激蕩後所帶來的壓力, 也可能反映出身體機能在調適上對於葡萄糖的消耗需求變動
    The body could be reacting to these fluctuations by spurring food intake in order to restore its glucose balance, the only fuel used by the brain.
    我們的身體會因為大腦執行作業而消耗能量, 於是藉由攝取食物以均恒體內葡萄糖的方式來對這種變動採取反應

    Mr Chaput added: "Caloric overcompensation following intellectual work, combined with the fact we are less physically active when doing intellectual tasks, could contribute to the obesity epidemic currently observed in industrialised countries.
     Chaput 先生補充: 由於在腦力活動後對於熱量的過度補充, 加上在腦力活動時一般很少有相對應的體力消耗, 於是造成現在很多工業化國家中常見的肥胖現象

    "This is a factor that should not be ignored, considering that more and more people hold jobs of an intellectual nature."

    The results of the study, carried out at Universite Laval in Quebec, Canada, are published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.