You've had plenty of ice cream, but you're reaching for the scoop again. You may not be surprised to hear that yes, .
Researchers from the Oregon Research Institute have now bolstered previous research that "people can be left feeling 'addicted' to some foods," reports the Telegraph. (And they actually studied Haagen Dazs in particular in this study; no word on your less-creamy, non-luxury brands.)
The study participants, 151 teens between 14 and 16, were shown an image of a chocolate milkshake and asked questions about eating habits and food cravings before they could drink it.
Using brain imaging, the researchers found that the teenagers who had recently eaten the most ice cream enjoyed looking at the drink less - a pattern common to drug users who need more of a drug to achieve a high.
"This down-regulation pattern is seen with frequent drug use, where the more an individual uses the drug, the less reward they receive from using it," Kyle Burger, the study's co-author, told the Telegraph.
"This tolerance is thought to increase use, or eating, because the individual trying to achieve the previous level of satisfaction," he added.
Coincidentally, , looks into the habit-forming power of dessert - including ice cream.
Guest blogger Charles Duhigg, the author of a new book called The Power of Habit, writes about how he managed to break his son's habit of expecting dessert after every dinner. (A habit he fully cops to causing in the first place, being a dessert-lover himself.)
Mr. Duhigg explains the cue-routine-reward cycle of habits:
"When we're talking about dessert, the habit is pretty obvious: There's a cue ('dinner is over!') a routine ('ice cream time!') and a reward ('oh my god, this chocolate chip crunch tastes good, oh my oh my god').
"...And if the ice cream doesn't arrive? My brain gets unhappy, and starts giving off patterns that look a lot like anger — or even depression."
So he and his wife tinkered, making dinner about more than getting to dessert, adding different rewards, such as books before bed, and keeping him guessing on dessert:
"Sometimes it's one marshmallow. Sometimes it arrives after his bath, and sometimes it shows up in his snack, before dinner."
Do you eat dessert daily?