Part 5/12:
Participants consumed the same milkshake twice—once believing it was a decadent high-calorie treat, and once thinking it was a healthy low-calorie diet shake. Despite identical drinks, their ghrelin levels—the hunger hormone—responded differently. When told it was indulgent, ghrelin levels dropped significantly more, as if they had consumed a larger meal. Intriguingly, the opposite was true when participants believed they were eating healthily; their bodies still signaled hunger, possibly impeding weight loss efforts.