Today, we try the most addictive foods in the world.
Let's talk about that.
Good mythical morning.
Today, we're gonna be facing off
with the world's most addictive foods,
as determined by actual science.
And this portion of today's episode is sponsored
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Yeah, okay, we have discovered
that there exists, in the world of science,
an official list of the 10 most addictive foods
on the planet, and it's already ranked,
so what does that leave for us to do?
Well, I guess just eat them.
Yeah.
And also to guess their ranking.
Right.
It's time for Potatoes, Alfredos,
and Tasty Cream Puffs,
Which of These Foods Can We Not Get Enough Of?
Boopity, boop, boop, boop, boop, research.
In 2009, Yale University created
the Yale Food Addiction Scale
to serve as a standardized tool
to identify people with food addiction behaviors.
Then, the University of Michigan
took the research a step further
by applying the Yale Scale,
I just shorten it to Yale Scale
because it's fun to say. I like that.
To more specific foods within larger categories,
and ultimately created an official top 10 list
of the most addictive foods.
Now, we have shielded our eyes from seeing this list,
so, now, we're gonna be able
to eat them and try to correctly order them
according to what science has dictated.
Right.
We're gonna be using this amazing board right here,
with this amazing man standing right beside it.
Yeah, I'm Chase.
Hey, it's Chase, our research assistant.
Okay, in the end, if we do not get seven
out of 10 of the rankings correct,
we both have to drink the most addictive milkshake
in the world, which is basically all the items
that we're gonna be tasting today blended together,
which, ironically, makes that the least addictive milkshake
in the world.
Okay. Let's do this.
What is it?
Cheeseburgers.
This is a big freakin' cheeseburger.
Oh. Ooh.
All right, now.
Oh, look how juicy it is.
Now, Stevie- And I haven't even
taken a bite yet.
You got some science for us, right?
Yeah, I have some addicting info.
So, cheeseburgers. And I want you
to only take one bite.
Sorry, Stevie. Oh, man.
That is a tall order. The thing is,
we gotta see how much you wanna take that second bite.
Well, I'll tell you.
If I really want to, I'll just take it.
Cheeseburgers are addictive
thanks to high doses of fat and sugar,
which act the same way as nicotine and other substances do
in becoming habit-forming.
I really want a second bite.
Cheeseburger's some of my favorite things.
I tend to think that things that have high sugar content
are going to be more addictive to things
that are meaty and have fat in them.
I think the addiction is, like,
not if I need another bite,
but do I want another whole cheeseburger?
And maybe that's just us-
Am I thinking about it all the time?
Okay, as you can see-
Oh, Chase, you've helped us out here.
Chase has put three items on the board already,
because this would be very, very difficult
if we had no help at all.
So chocolate, ice cream, and non-diet soda.
What are you writing, Chase?
Daily affirmations.
I'm just trying to, like, get my confidence up.
Well, what'd you just say to yourself?
Chase can do anything.
Okay, all right, see?
I actually just wrote Chase can do.
Be more like Chase,
'cause Chase can do anything.
Well.
I don't think this is...
I'm thinking, like, number six or seven,
is where this feels like it's gonna go.
It's not as addictive as ice cream, and non-diet soda.
Seven?
Let's slot it in at six.
Six.
I like a good cheeseburger.
There it is, number six.
Definitely not top five.
Very good, though.
What do we have here?
Cake.
But is it cake?
Let them eat cake.
You gotta cut it to find out.
That's how a cake works.
Man, that looks
like the cake from "Mathilda." We got this.
This doesn't count as a knife.
You can use that.
Now, you don't even like cake, so.
I don't hate cake,
but yeah, I'm not addicted to it.
You want science?
Yeah, I do. I want science.
And I go for this, 'cause I actually like cake.
You go for the back, and you get the icing.
You get a little bit of-
Most cakes these days are made
with fat substitutes like powdered eggs
and processed sweeteners,
and chocolate is addictive
because of the brain chemical enkephalin.
Yeah. Yeah.
Is heightened. The chocolate itself
is at number two. Yeah.
When you eat chocolate.
All these things work in harmony
to trigger the brain's neurons,
and make you crave more.
I think that the purity of chocolate,
and the sugar, and the fat,
and the way chocolate comes together.
I already knew that chocolate...
I'm so surprised that chocolate is not number one,
let me just say that.
No way cake is number one.
No, but I don't-
I could see it being more addictive than ice cream.
Why?
Because ice cream is polarizing to a lot of people.
Like, for instance, my wife loves to eat sweets and stuff,
but, like, she's like,
I don't know why you like ice cream so much,
and I've heard a number of people say that,
so I could put this at number four
and feel pretty good about it. I'm trying to figure out
how easily you could get another slice.
I could see it at number four.
I could also see it at number seven,
but I just feel like it is probably above ice cream.
For me, personally, it's not,
but I'll agree with four, not higher.
Sorry, one second.
Yeah, Chase can do anything except find the cake plate.
I also am looking for my glasses.
I don't know where those are.
There you go, Chase, there you go.
Oh, yeah. Okay.
Oh, fries.
All right, I mean, this is a...
Tell us why it's addictive,
but I'm gonna go on a limb
and say strong contender for number one.
Oh, gosh.
The extreme saltiness of French fries
triggers dopamine receptors in the brain,
and since there's so much salt,
your brain wigs out on the insane dopamine high
eating fries creates, which is why it's so hard to stop
and so easy to crave.
And, to me, the added thing is,
you got the crunch, and you got the variety,
so there's, like, this, do I pick a crunchy one,
or do I wanna mix it up and get a floppy one?
Could be three. As I think
about, what is more addicting than chocolate?
I don't know what the answer is.
I say you gotta go number one on this one.
But it's gonna feel good
if we put it at three now.
Right.
And then decide to move it to one.
You're right.
But demoting French fries
is not gonna feel good to anybody.
Put it at three then.
Three.
Three, three, yeah.
Found my glasses.
I'm feeling good about your glasses,
and also what we've done so far.
Oh, gosh, don't take these away.
You still want those fries, don't you?
I mean.
I know, me too, man.
Yeah, I'm tasting them on my lips,
and thinking about how great they are.
Will this top it?
Cheese.
Oh, now, my wife.
I know my wife will put-
Are you okay?
My wife would put this at number one.
She always talks about cheese.
Like, she posts about cheese, and plants,
but a lot of cheese. She's a smart woman.
Cheese is one of my favorite foods
that there is. She's a wonderful woman.
Cheese is highly addictive
because it contains casein,
a protein found in all milk products.
During digestion, casein releases opiates
called casomorphins, which trigger dopamine receptors
in our brains.
I want more.
I think this is number one,
but I'm afraid to put it there now
because I don't wanna demote it later,
'cause it'll feel even worse to demote cheese
than it is to demote fries,
and we were having a discussion at our house-
The game that you're playing right now, though...
Well, first of all, Chase has put himself as number one.
I mean, this is just obscene.
Didn't know you noticed that.
The self-affirmation thing has gotten out of hand.
Put it at number one just to see
what it feels like as we discuss it.
Okay.
'Cause that's what you want, right?
I'm gonna be honest,
cheese doesn't do it for me.
I'm gonna back off of this one.
Yeah, cheese is excellent,
and it might be my favorite food.
I just don't know.
It's either, it's right as it is,
or they need to switch, but I'm fine with leaving it
like it is. We'll have
that opportunity.
Zero.
Okay, okay, cookies.
I don't know why I said zero, I don't know.
Just a word that came out.
My mouth is watering at an alarming rate
during this entire episode. These are all
the best foods.
These are the best freakin' foods.
You wanna know about cookies?
The sugar and sweetness in cookies
trigger our dopamine receptors,
and chocolate chip cookies are even more addicting
because chocolate chips contain the chemical anandamide,
which has been shown to provide a sense
of mild rewarding bliss.
Oh.
These are better than cake.
Yes. In terms
of addiction level.
All right, let's move cake down to seven.
Put cake at seven, and put cookies at four.
Four, yes.
♪ I'm addicted to ♪
Nacho cheese chips.
Mm.
Nacho cheese chips.
Similar to French fries,
the salt in chips hits those dopamine receptors,
but nacho cheese chips are special
because their recipe is specifically designed
so that no flavor overpowers another.
When foods lack a dominant flavor,
people don't feel as full,
and therefore, can't stop eating them.
Whoa. Okay, I was thinking,
the thing about cheese, you go to cheese four or five times,
and you're like, that's heavy.
If you're me, you'll eat a whole bag of these.
Oh.
Now, is it specifically these cheesy chips,
or is it just all chips?
This category is all chips,
but nacho cheese chips are particularly addicting,
but it's just chips.
You see Chase and chips. But we're going for chips
in general, that's gonna bring it down a little bit.
I think these are some of the most, like you said.
Wow, that's interesting to think
that, because it's not one dominant experience.
You don't get tired of it.
There's more variety in the-
So, that make you think that cheese is not number one now?
I think chips needs to go at three,
and then everything needs to move down.
I feel like chips needs to go at four,
and then everything needs to move down.
Cake has just been demoted to number nine.
See, I keep going back to these, though,
but I was doing the same thing with French fries.
I'm doing it more with this.
I'm sticking with it.
Okay, well, the pressure's on.
Whoa.
Sounds.
Pizza. Here,
we have the crappiest-looking pizza.
We have the least addictive pizza
that you've ever seen.
All right, so we've gotta remember the power
that true pizza has.
Right. And again,
I'm leaning heavily on my wife again.
Her love for pizza is only matched by plants and cheese.
Pizza.
Then I'm somewhere lower on the list.
Has fat, sugar, and salt.
It's got everything. Which all please
the amygdala, slash Christy.
Mm-hm. A set of neurons
in the brain, and that leaves the brain both happy
and wanting more.
Also, the combination of crust, cheese,
and sauce triggers the part of the brain
that loves the umami flavor profile.
Okay.
It's got a lot going for it.
Pizza cannot be the last on the list,
and we can switch things around now.
Then Stevie is gonna tell us
if we've got seven right,
which means we really got four right,
plus the three Chase gave us.
So, there's a little room to work with here.
I think you gotta put pizza at number six,
and then move everything down, make cake last,
cheeseburgers next to last.
That what we're doing?
Yeah.
So, you feel like French fries is less addictive than chips.
Yes, only slightly.
Okay, Stevie.
Well, hold on.
I mean, if you feel strongly about the chips
being in front of the French fries,
I'm willing to make that change.
Make the change.
I just feel like-
Yes, I do.
The grease factor on French fries is too high for me.
Well, we can switch.
I thought that French fries may even be number one.
There's no way.
Okay, Stevie, we are locked in.
Okay, you currently have four correct.
Okay, so we have the three
that are locked in already, and then one more.
I think you gotta go fries number one.
Really?
I love cheese, and I didn't find myself
wanting to go back as often as eat the chips
or the French fries.
Okay. And I found myself
wanting to go to French fries more than chips.
All right, French fries, chocolate,
chips, then cheese?
I mean, again, you let me get French fries at number one,
so, if you wanna keep chips at number three.
No, I thought chips should be...
All right, chips at number four,
cheese at number three.
Okay, keep chips at number three,
and move cheese to number four.
I think you gotta put cookies above pizza.
I was gonna say cookies needs to go to number 10.
Well, first of all. We have to switch
something else. We know
that cheeseburgers and cake are probably also wrong,
because, if they were both right,
then we would've had five right,
'cause three were right already.
Yeah, we have to move those.
Let's just switch those two.
But you gotta switch
all four of them. Switch these two as groups?
Yeah, we have to switch pizza and cookies.
And cheeseburgers and cake.
So we're putting cheeseburgers last,
putting cookies higher than pizza.
Fudge, where's fudge on the list?
Well.
Okay, are we locked in?
Oh, god.
Stevie, we are double locked in,
and this is our final answer.
We can't change anything else.
Well, you did better.
Oh, gosh. You got five correct.
God.
Really?
Yeah, so,
starting at 10. Start at number 10.
Let us know.
And I really hate to break this to you,
is cheese.
You know what?
Do you want me to rearrange these?
I just thought that it was addictive.
At number nine, cake.
Okay.
You got that correct.
Then, of course, eight is non-diet soda.
Seven, cheeseburgers.
Six, this is crazy,
French fries.
What?
Yeah. Wow.
French fries at number six,
ice cream at number five,
cookies at number four,
chips and number three,
chocolate at number two.
Yeah.
And, of course, pizza at number one.
Pizza at number one?
Yeah, okay.
My wife is thumbing her nose at me right now.
And you gave us all the reasons,
you said it had all three factors.
When you said that, I was like,
aw, maybe this should be higher
than I'm thinking. Pizza, chocolate, chips.
Listen, it's because of this pizza y'all gave us.
Y'all gave us the crappiest pizza known to man.
Well, there's good news.
You guys get to have a delicious milkshake.
Bring it in.
Feel like a failure.
All right.
Feel like a failure.
I don't know if this is gonna be good or bad.
We're gonna try in "Good Mythical More."
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