The other day, I heard a story that struck a deep chord with me. A woman who had recently undergone bariatric surgery shared her experience. Another person asked her, “How do you stay so thin?” Her sister-in-law answered, “Well, I only eat when hungry.”
The woman smiled and said something so simple, yet so revealing:
“Eating isn’t for hunger. Eating is for happiness.”
That made me pause. Isn’t that the truth for so many of us?
We often don’t eat because we’re physically hungry—we eat because we’re stressed, sad, anxious, bored… or simply because we’re looking for a moment of pleasure. But here’s the catch:
We confuse pleasure with happiness.
Here are 7 key differences between pleasure and happiness, and why this matters in our health journey:
Dopamine excites your brain’s reward center. But over time, too much stimulation makes the brain less sensitive—a process called downregulation. You need more and more to feel the same high. That’s how habits turn into addictions.
Serotonin, on the other hand, is calming. It gives us a sense of peace, connection, and contentment. But here’s the irony: the more we chase pleasure, the more we deplete our happiness.
That’s why emotional eating is so common. We crave that dopamine hit from sugar, processed carbs, fried foods, or late-night snacking. But what we really need isn’t a cookie or a burger…
What we need is comfort, connection, calm.
So next time you find yourself reaching for food, pause and ask:
👉 Am I physically hungry—or emotionally empty?
👉 Is this food going to satisfy my stomach—or my heart?
Because healing your relationship with food is about understanding why you eat.
Have you ever noticed how you crave a burger when you’re stressed? Or reach for a Coke when you’re tired? Or feel instantly better (for a moment) after devouring a pizza?
That’s not a coincidence—that’s the dopamine trap.
Major food corporations—like McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Coca-Cola—have mastered the art of hijacking your brain’s reward system. They know exactly how to make food that gives you a quick high… and keeps you coming back for more.
Here’s how they do it:
Your brain loves dopamine—the “feel good” chemical. It gives you that short-lived rush of excitement or reward when you do something pleasurable, like eating something salty, sugary, or fatty.
Now here’s the trick:
Highly processed foods (like fries, burgers, soft drinks, fried chicken, cheesy pizzas) are scientifically engineered to give your brain an intense dopamine hit.
That hit feels good… but only for a moment. Then your brain says, “That felt great. Let’s do it again!”
Over time, your brain becomes less sensitive to dopamine. So you need more junk food, more frequently, just to feel the same satisfaction.
This is called downregulation, and it’s the first step in the cycle of food addiction.
Here’s how they trap us:
They’re not selling you food. They’re selling you pleasure.
But not happiness. Not healthy. Not nourishment.
And they don’t stop at food.
Bright red packaging (a color that excites the appetite).
Catchy jingles and nostalgia
Celebrities and influencers promoting “fun”.
Fast service to match your dopamine-driven impulse.
Everything is carefully designed to keep you in a dopamine-chasing loop—a cycle that overrides your hunger cues, emotional balance, and even long-term health goals.
As a Dietitian, Here’s the Truth I Share:
The more you rely on them for comfort, the more they rob you of real happiness.
To break the cycle, we need to:
Asma Siddiqua is a Senior Consultant and Clinical Dietitian at ProGen Weight Management with over 5 years of experience in managing obesity and related co-morbidities. She specializes in reversing diabetes and helping clients achieve and maintain healthy body fat percentages. Asma is dedicated to providing personalized, evidence-based dietary guidance to support sustainable weight loss and improved overall health.
ProGen is specialized in weight loss treatments based on a Very Low Calorie Ketogenic Diet (VLCK Diet), carried out under the supervision of a multidisciplinary team of health professionals, including doctors, dietitians, physical activity trainers and lifestyle coaches.
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