- Ashford Kimani explains why the brain naturally seeks sugar, caffeine and nicotine despite known health risks.
- He examines how these everyday cravings influence alertness, memory, mood and long-term physical wellbeing.
- The article encourages healthier choices by balancing immediate pleasure with lifelong health and wellness.
The morning ritual is familiar in cities, towns and roadside cafés across the world: a steaming cup of coffee, a sweet pastry and, for some people, a cigarette. The combination may appear ordinary, even comforting. Yet beneath this everyday scene lies a complex interaction between the brain’s reward systems, its need for energy and its constant search for stimulation.
Why do people repeatedly reach for substances and foods that are known to carry health risks? The answer is not simply a lack of discipline. The human brain is designed to seek pleasure, avoid discomfort and respond strongly to chemicals that improve alertness, mood or concentration. Coffee, sugar and nicotine can all activate these systems, creating powerful associations between certain products and feelings of energy, relief or satisfaction.
The challenge is that what the brain experiences as immediately rewarding may not always be beneficial to the body over the long term.
The brain is an exceptionally demanding organ. Although it represents only a small proportion of body weight, it consumes a substantial share of the body’s energy. Its billions of nerve cells require a continuous supply of fuel to communicate, regulate movement, process information and sustain attention. After several hours without food, blood glucose levels may decline, and hunger signals become increasingly difficult to ignore.
This helps explain why sweet foods are so attractive, especially in the morning. After an overnight fast, the body is ready for nourishment, while the brain is searching for readily available energy. A doughnut, cake or sugary snack provides a rapid source of carbohydrates and can produce an immediate feeling of satisfaction. The sweetness is not merely pleasant; it activates reward pathways that encourage the person to repeat the experience.
The Psychology Today article argues that sugar also contributes to processes involved in the production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter associated with learning, memory, attention and movement. Acetylcholine is essential for effective communication between nerve cells. When people are trying to study, work, drive or remain mentally alert, these brain systems are constantly active.
Why the brain seeks quick rewards
However, the idea that the brain needs glucose should not be interpreted as a justification for consuming large quantities of doughnuts or other sugary foods. The brain requires energy, but it does not require that energy to come from highly processed sugar. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and other nutritious foods can provide carbohydrates alongside fibre, vitamins and minerals. The difference lies not only in what the brain receives but also in how the rest of the body responds.
Highly refined sugary foods may cause rapid changes in blood glucose levels. Their immediate energy boost can be followed by fatigue, renewed hunger or another craving. Over time, frequent consumption may contribute to obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders. The brain may enjoy the quick reward while the body accumulates the consequences.
Coffee occupies a more complicated position. Many people describe their first cup as the moment when the day truly begins. The reason is largely connected to caffeine. As the hours pass and a person remains awake, a chemical called adenosine gradually builds up in the brain. Adenosine contributes to the growing pressure to sleep and can reduce alertness. Caffeine interferes with the action of adenosine, temporarily making people feel more awake, focused and mentally energetic.
For students preparing for examinations, teachers marking scripts or workers facing long days, coffee may therefore feel like a useful cognitive tool. Moderate coffee consumption is generally considered safe for many healthy adults, although its effects vary according to the individual, the amount consumed and underlying health conditions.
Yet coffee is not automatically harmless. Excessive caffeine may cause anxiety, trembling, headaches, sleep disruption, an increased heart rate and dependence. The timing also matters. A strong cup late in the afternoon may interfere with sleep, creating fatigue the following morning and encouraging even greater caffeine consumption. In this way, a person can become trapped in a cycle: poor sleep leads to more coffee, while more coffee contributes to poorer sleep.
Nicotine presents an even sharper contradiction. It can influence attention, alertness and reward pathways in the brain, which helps explain why smoking can become deeply habitual. The article notes evidence that nicotine has neurobiological effects and has been associated in research with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease. However, such findings must never be treated as a reason to smoke or use nicotine products.
Cigarette smoking exposes the body to numerous toxic and cancer-causing substances. It damages the lungs, blood vessels and heart and is associated with several forms of cancer and chronic disease. Any possible neurological effect of nicotine does not outweigh the well-established dangers of smoking. A chemical may produce a specific benefit in one biological pathway while causing serious harm elsewhere in the body.
Choosing healthier habits
The coffee, cigarette and doughnut combination therefore illustrates a broader truth about human behaviour: the brain often prioritises immediate reward over distant consequences. It responds strongly to pleasure, stimulation and relief. The body, however, experiences the cumulative effects of repeated choices over months and years.
This does not mean that every enjoyable food or cup of coffee should be viewed with fear. Health is rarely determined by one meal or one morning habit. What matters most is the overall pattern. A balanced breakfast, adequate sleep, regular physical activity and moderate caffeine intake can support both mental performance and physical wellbeing. The occasional sweet treat can fit into a healthy lifestyle, but it should not become the primary source of energy or emotional comfort.
The brain is powerful, but its cravings are not always wise instructions. Understanding why we want certain foods and substances gives us an opportunity to make more deliberate choices. The goal is not to deny pleasure. It is to distinguish between what produces a brief feeling of reward and what genuinely sustains health.
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Coffee may sharpen the mind. Sugar may provide rapid energy. Nicotine may stimulate particular brain pathways. But lasting wellbeing depends on looking beyond the immediate sensation and considering the whole person—the brain, the body and the future consequences of today’s habits.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford Kimani is a teacher of English and Literature and writes on education and social affairs.
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