- Top publications | February 2023
- Sabrina Strang et al.
Food intake is essential for maintaining homeostasis, which is necessary for survival in all species. However, food intake also impacts multiple biochemical processes that influence our behaviour. Here, we investigate the causal relationship between macronutrient composition and a modulation of human social decision making. Across two studies, we show that breakfasts with a high-carbohydrate/protein ratio increased social punishment behaviour in response to norm violations compared with that in response to a low carbohydrate/protein meal. We show that these macronutrient-induced behavioural changes in social decision making are causally related to a lowering of plasma tyrosine levels. The findings indicate that, in a limited sense, “we are what we eat” and provide a perspective on a nutrition-driven modulation of cognition.