Why That Donut Is Calling Your Name

We know the drill. You pass that cute storefront with the classic American green and white signage. The red neon light in the window announces a fresh, hot batch. It’s enough to make anyone’s mouth water. If you’ve only had them in a box from the store, hours old or more, you’re not enjoying the same thing at all. This is more than that — it’s melt-in-your-mouth, piping hot, decadent, magical and downright sinfully good.

We’re talking about Krispy Kreme. A beloved breakfast chain through many parts of the country, they’re known for serving up yeasty, original-glazed donuts in all their glory, at many stores around the clock. However, these lovely morsels are also known as a trope in the fat-shaming world. How many times have you seen an overweight cartoon character lugging around a box of donuts? Or heard a joke about how many donuts the poor victim across the room could possibly eat? It’s a cruel fact of life — donuts are synonymous with unhealthy lifestyles.

There’s some hard science behind why your body’s craving donuts, though, Krispy Kreme or otherwise, and it often has nothing to do with your weight.

Donuts (obviously) are high in sugar and glucose, but they’ve also got a lot of fat and high glycemic starch. This means when you wake up in the morning and your body is craving something to fix its low insulin and glycogen levels, the donut is a perfect quick fix. In addition, there’s also an extremely high caloric density. Think about it — that’s a lot of calories in a very small space, with just the regular glazed donut coming in at 200 calories for a few bites and a fleeting moment of gastronomic pleasure. This energy-dense food not only helps your body get that jolt of insulin and glycogen in the morning, it also releases dopamine and pleasure neurotransmitters, just because it’s a lot of calories within a small space, one of our brains’ favorite things.

Another thing our brains particularly like? Anything that melts quickly. The moment you take that bite, the donut begins to break down, releasing a flood of sugars in a split second. It activates your taste receptors, starts to change temperature, the icing begins to melt as well as the dough…it’s sensory overload for your tastebuds and they love it!

Of course, Krispy Kreme provides a few extra perks that you won’t find in just any donut, perks that make your brain like KK a lot more than your average gas station pastry. The temperature of the donut is a huge deal. The tongue and brain are hardwired to love warm foods. The temperature activates taste receptors and pleasure centers, making us love fresher, warmer foods more than, say, a stale, cold breakfast item that’s been sitting on the shelf too long.

Krispy Kreme also extends the expansive sensory experience it already offers to its storefront. When you try a food, your brain remembers everything about the experience, not just the taste. However, that experience influences the way you remember the taste dramatically. It’s why sometimes you’ll associate a food or restaurant with a pleasant memory, but then when you go back to that same restaurant, you’ll wonder why the food isn’t as great as you remember. Krispy Kreme creates an environment intended to give you a pleasurable experience that’ll stick with your brain, from the retro decor, to the donut-making process occurring right in front of you, to the delicious smell permeating the air.

So, the next time you reach for a donut, don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s not merely a bad habit, it’s science.