Tag: Cold weather appetite

According to research, it is very common to feel hungrier in winter due to a range of physiological and psychological factors. If you’ve ever found yourself asking, "Why do I get really hungry in the winter?" you're tapping into a seasonal phenomenon rooted in our biology and environmental changes that affect us more than we realize.

Research published in *Nature* in 2023 suggests that simply being chilly can trigger increased hunger. This happens because the body expends more energy to maintain its core temperature, a process that can directly stimulate appetite, answering the age-old question: do cold weather make you eat more?.

Scientific studies have shown that people in colder climates tend to consume more calories than those in warmer ones, suggesting a strong link between temperature and appetite. This raises the question: are you more hungry when cold or hot?

Studies indicate that many people tend to eat more and gain a small amount of weight during the colder winter months. This common phenomenon is rooted in a complex interplay of physiological and psychological factors that influence our appetite and food choices.

According to a 2023 study published in *Nature*, researchers pinpointed specific brain neurons that trigger increased appetite in mammals exposed to cold, which helps explain why is it hungrier when cold. This phenomenon is a complex mix of ancient biology and modern psychology, driven by your body's innate need to produce heat and conserve energy.

Research indicates that the body naturally increases its metabolic rate to generate heat in colder temperatures. This increase in energy expenditure often stimulates a higher appetite, meaning it is indeed normal to eat more when cold. The phenomenon is influenced by several biological and psychological factors that have roots in our evolutionary past.