🍽️ Why do we feel hungrier when it's cold?

Cold days often make us feel hungrier. A bowl of soup seems more appealing than a salad, and portions feel less filling. This sensation isn't just an impression. It's based on well-identified physiological mechanisms.

The human body maintains its internal temperature around 98.6 °F (37 °C). When the outside temperature drops, the body must produce more heat to preserve this balance. This process, called thermogenesis, increases energy expenditure. Producing heat requires fuel. The brain can then stimulate appetite to compensate for this additional energy consumption.


Brown adipose tissue plays an important role in this adaptation. Unlike white adipose tissue, which stores energy, brown tissue dissipates it as heat. Its activation increases in a cold environment. This energy mobilization contributes to raising caloric needs, even if the effect remains moderate in adults.

Cold also influences the hormones involved in appetite regulation. Leptin, the satiety hormone, and ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates hunger, can see their balance slightly altered depending on environmental conditions.

However, energy expenditure isn't the only explanation. Eating behaviors vary according to the seasons. In winter, exposure to natural light decreases. This variation can influence mood and food cravings. Dishes rich in carbohydrates or fats provide a feeling of thermal and psychological comfort. This search for comfort contributes to the impression of being hungrier.

Feeling hungrier when it's cold therefore results from a set of biological and behavioral mechanisms. The increased energy expenditure linked to thermoregulation plays a real role, and hormonal, psychological, and environmental factors add to it. All the indicators are thus pushed in the same direction, the one urging us to eat more, richer, and hotter foods.