PSYCHOLOGY OF EMOTIONS

Detailed explanation-1: -The lateral hypothalamus (LH) is concerned largely with hunger and, in fact, lesions (i.e., damage) of the LH can eliminate the desire for eating entirely-to the point that animals starve themselves to death unless kept alive by force feeding (Anand & Brobeck, 1951).

Detailed explanation-2: -Hunger is a classic example of a drive state, one that results in thoughts and behaviors related to the consumption of food. Hunger is generally triggered by low glucose levels in the blood (Rolls, 2000), and behaviors resulting from hunger aim to restore homeostasis regarding those glucose levels.

Detailed explanation-3: -Explain the effects on hunger and eating behavior when stimulating or destroying the appetite suppression areas of the hypothalamus. When stimulated: you feel satiety (fullness), you stop eating/eat less. When destroyed: you feel hunger, you continue to eat/eat more.

Detailed explanation-4: -To elaborate, the lateral hypothalamus is responsible for both activating and inhibiting feeding behavior. Therefore, if a rat’s lateral hypothalamus was destroyed the rat will not feel hungry and will not initiate any feeding behavior.