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We always knew that using our brains too much was a bad idea—frowning causes wrinkles, for one thing—but now there's research to prove it. A study has demonstrated that not only does thinking barely burn any more calories than resting, but carrying out intellectual tasks triggers significantly greater hunger. "Caloric overcompensation following intellectual work," says the study's lead researcher, "could contribute to the obesity epidemic currently observed in industrialized countries." Finally, an explanation for all those obese people who turn up for the all-you-can-eat special at Red Lobster. The problem isn't that they were just handed a plate of 43 jumbo shrimp. It's they they just finished intellectually-demanding tasks like economics research and neurosurgery, so it's only natural that they're hungry.