Hangry Minds, Unhealthy Choices: EEG Microstate Dynamics as Predictors of Goal-Dependent Dietary Self-Control

Obesity remains a pressing public health issue, and difficulties in sustaining dietary self-control are a key factor driving its prevalence. In daily life, internal states such as hunger and frustration can bias choices toward tempting foods, whereas activating health goals can counter these influences by promoting healthier choices and greater dietary regulation. Yet it remains unclear why individuals differ in their ability to make healthy choices and align their behaviors with their current goals. Prior research has focused largely on task-based brain activity to provide insights into neural underpinnings of individual differences in dietary self-control, leaving the role of intrinsic resting-state dynamics largely unexplored. To address this gap, the study conducted a within-subjects experiment in which 81 participants completed a laboratory food choice task in two sessions, approximately one week apart: one hungry (after a 3-hour fast) and one while satiated (following a snack buffet), under both natural and health-goal conditions. A frustration manipulation was included in a between-subjects design, where a subset of participants completed a computerized loss-of-control task. Resting-state EEG was recorded prior to task engagement to assess microstate stability. Behavioral results showed that hunger reliably biased choices toward tastier, less healthy foods. However, activating health goals promoted healthier decisions regardless of physiological state. Contrary to predictions, frustration did not amplify hunger’s effects, suggesting hunger alone may maximize vulnerability to dietary self-control failures. Importantly, resting-state microstate dynamics predicted individual differences: shorter average durations of dominant EEG microstates—reflecting more unstable neural dynamics—were associated with healthier food choices and greater goal-dependent regulatory success, captured in their ability to flexibly reduce taste considerations when health goals were activated. Together, these findings highlight how internal states like hunger and intrinsic brain dynamics jointly shape dietary decision-making. By linking more unstable resting state dynamics with increased capacities to flexibly adjust decision processes in line with current goals, this work identifies a potential neural marker of dietary success and suggests a fundamental flexibility–stability trade-off. These insights not only advance theories of self-regulation but also highlight novel targets for public health strategies aimed at sustaining healthier lifestyles in today’s challenging food environments.

Department dc:contributor.department

Neuroscience Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Sandhu, Tavneen K.

Advisor dc:contributor.supervisor

• Tusche, Anita

• Decision-Making
• Electroencephalograph (EEG)
• Dietary Self-Control
• EEG Microstates
• Emotional States
• Physiological effects of hunger
• Decision Neuroscience

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1974/35263

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:queensu.scholaris.ca:1974/35263