Specific Food Aversion Acquired During Restricted Environmental Stimulation

Two studies, one conducted in Australia and one in Canada, tested the effects of the Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique (REST) on food preferences. Subjects undergoing 24 hours of darkness and silence were either permitted to take some of their favorite high-caloric foods to eat during the session or were given standard laboratory liquid diet food. In the second study, a social isolation condition (without sensory reduction) and a nonconfined control condition were also used. The results reliably indicate that preferred foods taken into the chamber were significantly less favorably rated after REST, while the same experience led to increased liking of previously less preferred foods. Some originally liked items were completely eliminated from the subject's diet after the experiment, while others were eaten significantly less frequently than before. REST has previously been useful in a weight reduction program; its effect in decreasing the attractiveness of highly liked problem foods may add to its impact in this context.