What is the Connection Between a Hungry Soul and a Full Stomach

In recent years, even decades, an increased number of obese people has been evident all over the world. Of course, the main culprits are fast food and lack of physical activity. There is no doubt that this is true. But we forget that the roots of this phenomenon actually lie in overeating. And the same overeating is a consequence of some kind of psychological problem. For this reason, in this text we will try to determine, at least to some extent, what is the connection between a “hungry soul” and a full stomach.

Causes and pitfalls of obesity

In most different societies, food is, in various ways, at the center of social events. Almost all gatherings in society are marked by the consumption of food. Also, it often happens that the get-togethers themselves are organized with the aim of “eating something”. In this way, all participants in those gatherings gain a sense of belonging and some kind of security and “familiarity”.

On the other hand, there are families in which the cult of food is simply cultivated. Their members communicate only during meals and thus express their mutual emotions. For example, sentences like “are you hungry, eat, try this” actually hide some other messages.

Self-destructive behavior

It often happens that obese people have a deep-rooted opinion that they are worthless and bad. Also, they are inclined to interpret some behavior of close people as disinterest and to blame themselves for it, because “they are not worthy of someone’s attention” In addition, their feeling of “hungry soul” very often leads them to depression. The connection between depression and obesity, that is, the connection between a hungry soul and a full stomach, can be twofold. On the one hand, some forms of depression are associated with an increased appetite. Also, if an obese person wants to lose extra pounds, but is unable to do so, they can easily become depressed. In this way, a vicious circle is created from which it is very difficult to get out.

What to do?

Perhaps it is important to note that overweight people often perceive their obesity as their identity. In other words, they distance others from themselves with the dimensions of their body, because they believe that they are not worthy of anyone’s attention. That is why it often happens that they stay for a long time in the primary, parental family, because there they are protected from new contacts and life changes.

However, let’s ask obese people a trick-question: Will it be easier to lose weight if we say we are fat, or if we say we have gained weight? Of course, if we say the latter. Because if we have gained weight, it is the result of our behavior, and behavior can be changed. If we accept the first fact (that we are fat), we express our identity, which, unfortunately, is very difficult to change.

Instead of a conclusion

With this text, we did not intend to deal with professional achievements in the field of psychology, nor to reveal hitherto unknown facts. This is just one layman’s reflection on a phenomenon we are mostly familiar with, namely that there really is a connection between a hungry soul and a full stomach.