Why do people constantly return to their refrigerator in hopes of something new materialising?

Question

This is an actual serious question. I've noticed this and wanted to know the psychological/sociolgical reason for it.

Answer 1

Hi Smo,

Thanks for a great question, first of all!

To be precise, the behaviour is a conditioned reflex in which the human nervous system gets habitual of opening the fridge door as a response to the conditional stimulus of hunger. As the person feels hungry or bored, he or she automatically starts walking towards the refrigerator as a reflex.

To explain my answer further-- I think the answer lies in the famous "ringing bell- drooling dog" experiment by the Russian physiologist I. P. Pavlov.

Pavlov saw that the sight and smell of food caused flow of saliva as a reflex behaviour in dogs. He started ringing a bell before giving the food to dogs and gradually, the dogs associated the food with the bell. Eventually, they started drooling on the mere sounding of the bell.

A new sensory clue (bell) was associated with the inborn reflex (salivation) to establish the new conditioned reflex.

You can imagine a similar situation with human beings. Let's make it clear--

A person, say a little girl- Julia, feels hungry one day. She tells this to her mom/ dad/ brother or any other person. The person goes to the fridge, opens the door and fetches her favourite ice-cream. She feasts on the ice-cream brought by the relative and observes that the opening of the fridge door led to relief and satisfaction.

The unconditioned stimulus of "hunger" was responded by the unconditioned response of "searching for food, finding it and satisfying the hunger".

"Opening of the fridge", just like "ringing of the bell" is not an inborn trait. It is a conditioned stimulus which led to a conditioned response of "salivation and relief from hunger and boredom".

Now, as Julia sees it over and over again, the conditioned stimulus to her brain given by "opening of the fridge" resulting in the conditioned response of finding relief and satisfaction becomes a "conditioned reflex (CR)". Her spontaneous, automatic and mechanical response to the stimulus of hunger and boredom becomes- "opening the fridge door."

This is why bored, hungry people constantly return to their refrigerators.

I hope this answer helps.

Good luck and best wishes.

Answer 2

Because sometimes things actually do materialize. I go back and forth to the fridge all the time. If I take a good look, sometimes I find something I forgot about, and am happy.

Cleaning the fridge is a good thing to do. I recommend at least once a month take absolutely everything out, give it a washdown, then look at what you've got. You'll probably come up with some good meal plans for the day, and you can put your stuff back in and have it nice and organized. It helps you spot the really old stuff that should be chucked out.

My moms used to keep crap in their kitchens for years. If you actually looked at some of the due dates, particularly for baking goods, you'd be surprised. That stuff simply has to be chucked out and replaced. There's nothing worse than a toxic kitchen.

Answer 3

Hmmmm... That's actually a more interesting question than I thought at first glance. However, I doubt much focused research has been done on the subject, unfortunately.

I know when *I* go back to the fridge, it's not so much thinking that something new will be there - but rather that something there might actually appeal to me where nothing did before, or that I may have simply missed something. That, combined with the fact that I do find something appealing on second review sometimes, rewards and thus reinforces the behavior.

Voila - as Mr. B.F. Skinner would say, we're just all big reward seeking rats. :-)

Answer 4

The desire,many a time,turns to certainty while the significant different and young ones has many contributors as one or the different would have offered some thing from the shop and placed it interior the refrigerator for later intake.With a lone occupant in a house,the guy is familiar with finished nicely the futility except he's in an under the impact of alcohol subject.Have a intense high quality Day.

Answer 5

This is funny.
I think when Im looking for something to munch on, its a hope that whatever is in there will be good enough to satisfy my craving even if I dont find what I want the first time I look.
My son does this too, he says out of habit. He comes into the kitchen and opens the pantry door, the freezer then the frig. But for him, since I work in a grocery store and bring stuff home everyday, things do 'materialize' for him sometimes.

Answer 6

I can't say that I do it constantly, but I occasionally look into the refrigerator, and the cupboards to find inspiration for a meal, usually when the contents are low.

Answer 7

I do it, and I take a second look in the freezer and cupboards. It's as though you think you might have missed something the first time.

Answer 8

A mixture of boredom, still hungry and having the munchies!..

Answer 9

Prob 'cos your thinking of other stuff when you want to snack & can't remember what you just looked at. Either that or we are all part goldfish...

Answer 10

i do that lol, i think in the hope that maybe i didnt look very well and might have missed something