RACHEL HERZ

TWITTER: @RACHEL_HERZ WEBSITE: RACHELHERZ.COM

Rachel Herz, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist and world leading expert on the psychological science of smell. She is on the faculty at Brown University and Boston College, is actively involved in research, has published over 95 original academic papers, received numerous awards and grants, and is a professional consultant on the topics of smell, taste, flavor and food. Dr. Herz is also a TEDx speaker, a co-author of the leading college textbook on Sensation & Perception (Oxford University Press), and the author of three acclaimed popular science books to date: The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell (Harper Collins), which was selected as a finalist for the “2009 AAAS Prize for Excellence in Science Books”; That’s Disgusting: Unraveling the Mysteries of Repulsion (2012; W.W. Norton & Co), which analyzes the emotion of disgust from culture to neuroscience, and was listed as a New York Times Book Review “Editor’s Choice”; and her latest book Why You Eat What You Eat: The Science Behind Our Relationship with Food (2018; W.W. Norton & Co), which explores how our senses, brain and psychology govern our perception of food, and the experiences and consequences of eating. Why You Eat What You Eat was a finalist for the “2018 Readable Feast Awards” and listed among the “Best Food Books of 2018” by The Smithsonian and The New Yorker.

Why You Eat What You Eat is a unique analysis of our relationship with food and eating. Written by acclaimed neuroscientist, Rachel Herz PhD, Why You Eat What You Eat combines an examination of the sensory, psychological, and social factors that influence consumption with an investigation of how our interaction with food affects our mind and body. Among many amazing and entertaining facts, readers will learn why tomato juice tastes better on an airplane, how the color, size and shape of a plate can change how much we eat, what makes some foods filling and others not, how our mood can change the way food tastes and that eating certain foods can make us either nicer or meaner. Why You Eat What You Eat also uncovers the fascinating interactions we have with our food environment, such as why bringing reusable bags to the grocery store can encourage us to buy more treats, why watching TV and the number of people we’re with can alter how much we eat, and reveals the secret to resisting return visits at the all-you-can eat buffet, along with many other useful techniques for managing cravings and improving our experience of food. Why You Eat What You Eat addresses how we each bring different talents and weaknesses to the table and takes the reader on a voyage of self-discovery to uncover how our culture, psychology and physiology has shaped our connection to food. Why You Eat What You Eat will equip you with the knowledge and power to take control of your relationship with food and how to lead a happier and healthier food-rich life.