It takes just 108 milliseconds for our brains to spot food

Mind

When you look at an object, it takes just 108 to 116 milliseconds for your brain to decide if it is food

By Jason Arunn Murugesu

Distinct signatures of electrical activity occur in our brains when we see food

Marian Weyo/Shutterstock

Our brains can detect when an object is a type of food in as little as 108 milliseconds. A better understanding of how we visually perceive food could help steer advertising towards encouraging us to make healthier choices.

Scientists know very little about how we process seeing food, says Tom Carlson at the University of Sydney, Australia. “This is unexpected given the significant role vision plays in food selection,” he says. “For our ancestors, vision was the …

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