We can use two prime elements to explain the mechanism of hunger – the biological need and the psychological need. There are theories that explain hunger as a biological function, the effect of the physical and physiological happenings inside the human body. This explains why we feel hungry or lose our hunger at different instances. These theories state that there are different reasons, all biological, for hunger. These reasons include contraction of the stomach, low glucose levels in the blood, sudden increase in insulin levels, reduced body temperatures, and also activation of receptors inside the human body designed to detect fatty acid upsurges.
However, biological need alone is not enough to explain away the mechanism of hunger. Researchers and scientists have, therefore, propagated another theory that states hunger to be not just a biological function, but a combination of biological as well as psychological need. The psychological aspect has two main sub-elements – the learned sub-element as well as the cognitive sub-element. The learned element states that hunger is also a result of external triggers, such as time, type of food, aroma, etc. The cognitive sub-element of psychological need also causes people to feel hungry and crave for food.
However, biological need alone is not enough to explain away the mechanism of hunger. Researchers and scientists have, therefore, propagated another theory that states hunger to be not just a biological function, but a combination of biological as well as psychological need. The psychological aspect has two main sub-elements – the learned sub-element as well as the cognitive sub-element. The learned element states that hunger is also a result of external triggers, such as time, type of food, aroma, etc. The cognitive sub-element of psychological need also causes people to feel hungry and crave for food.