For millions of first-world people in the 21st century, nutrition is a secondary or tertiary reason why they eat the food. The first reason is usually the taste, but it doesn't have to be that way.

No-one eats junk food for nutrition- they eat it to experience the dopamine that gets released in their brains when they do.

Millions of people are stuck in the pleasure trap: an unhealthy cycle of behaviour which contains three things: a cue (f.e seeing an advert about junk food or feeling a negative emotion), a routine (f.e ordering junk food online then eating it while watching YouTube videos) and a reward (f.e the dopamine release from the taste which numbs negative emotions).

The pleasure trap is rather sinister and should be exited as soon as possible, if you want good health and happiness. The pleasure trap is engineered and maintained by many people for selfish reasons. Drawing innocent people (including children) in the pleasure trap is an effective way to make lots of money, but also an effective way to gradually and indirectly destroy their physical and mental health.

I believe that most people who are using a pleasure trap to make money have been aware of it, but have turned a blind eye to it with justifications such as "I'm just trying to survive, it's my livelihood. How else am I going to put food on the table?", "Kids love candy", "It's up the the parents / government to get people to stop buying so much junk food".

Instead of feeling negative emotions we can numb them. Instead of numbing negative emotions we express them, by talking to a counsellor (use our free online tutor service) or by making art. This helps to release negative emotions so we don't feel them anymore.

TBC