Does the drive-reduction theory work well for simple motivations? For animals, sure. For humans, not so much.

It seems that in its simplest form, drive-reduction theory has to do with physiological (bodily) needs. It’s more complicated though.

Here are some alternative things that children can do indoors rather than stare at screens. Even a small amount of motion is more beneficial than inactivity.

Mental and emotional problems can manifest through the body, and destructive fat is one of their favorite channels.

Even under very limited circumstances, it is still important that kids move around and do things.

Any kind of active play is not only helpful but crucial to the maintenance of both physical and mental health. And you don’t necessarily need equipment.

We have some suggestions about how to keep kids active even in restricted environments during the pandemic.

Judging a person’s health based on their appearance is almost as intrusive and unjustifiable as rating a woman’s appearance on a scale of 1 to 10.

When animals do displacement behavior and when people do procrastination, it all boils down to the same thing, which is “avoidance behavior.”

Amidst the controversy that arose over the work of ethology’s founders, including Niko Tinbergen, his “Four Questions” have stood the test of time pretty well.

Over the years, many scientists were having trouble with the untrammeled practice of assuming parallels between animal behavior and human behavior.

Tracing the history of the collaboration between Nikolaas Tinbergen and Konrad Lorenz because it encompasses some of the ideas in Dr. Pretlow’s current project.

Our recent posts have focused on Nikolaas Tinbergen because he was one of the scientists who contributed most to the earliest theories about ethology.

Ethology is the study of animal behavior, particularly under natural conditions in the creatures’ natural environment.

The field of ethology is the biological study of animal behaviors, both instinctive and learned, in nature.

Why do humans get to define what is an inappropriate stimulus, and what is abnormal behavior?

This series is about helping kids find things to do with their hands (and in some cases, their mouths) that will help them avoid snacking.

Let’s aim for a family culture that includes the very important standard of not dragging consumption into every mundane activity.

One big reason why kids eat is because they are unhappy. Whether the parent feels like that is justified, or not, is irrelevant.

Addiction can foster some really twisted thinking, and people who are hooked on eating are no exception. Children are not exempt, either.

Guilt is an arrow; shame is a thick obscuring fog. Guilt is objective and can be disproven; shame is subjective and can only be dispelled.

Guilt as an emotional “first responder” can be beneficial. It can serve as a “note to self” that behavior needs to be corrected.

The discussion of the effects of C-section births on a child’s development and how breastfeeding affects the baby’s microbiome continues.

Following the two previous posts, we go deeper into two sub-topics: birth by surgery and the suspected reason why that seems to contribute to childhood obesity.

We continue our discussion about the actual expense involved in breastfeeding, which is believed to help prevent obesity.

Baby formula’s current, heavily politicized supply chain problem presents an opportunity to make several points when planning to breastfeed.

Some countries have a fortunate genetic heritage that leaves their feel-good genes unfettered, making them happy countries. Let’s look at the inner workings.

Do certain genes exert influence over a person’s likelihood of developing an addiction to food and/or eating? It does seem likely.

We live in an environment that creates food addicts on purpose.

It appears to Dr. Pretlow, as well as to leaders in addiction science, that addiction and obesity both stem from one source.