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Maintaining willpower in the face of a craving may depend on how "loud" the craving is.

GLP-1 medications may quiet the craving itself.

Fake delivery apps offer the pleasure of anticipation without eating.

It’s 9:45 p.m. The kids have finally fallen asleep. You had a long day. Your Instagram feed keeps showing you tempting recipes, but your fridge is full of leftovers, and you want something warm and comforting. You can almost smell it. You open the delivery app and scroll. You see the hamburger in front of your eyes; you can smell the fries, and you want the milkshake, too. Even before you complete the purchase, you know exactly how you’ll feel after eating the food, but right now, you don’t care.

This strong urge is what made a 21-year-old engineering student in Seoul build a delivery website that allows you to scroll through menus, fill your cart, place your order, track the courier on the map, and… that’s it. You don’t have to pay, and you don’t get the food. According to a New York Times article, more than 10,000 people visit the website every month. Why would someone do that? Are we enjoying the expectation or the food itself?

When the Wanting Is Better Than the Eating

In reward research, wanting something and enjoying it are two different things. Wanting is the pull toward something; enjoyment is the pleasure we........

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